Nearly three years have passed since the death of journalist and writer Jamal Khashoggi's friend. As we all know, Khashoggi's death took place in a bloody and cruel manner, embodying what we might call "state terrorism."

Three years after this horrific crime, the perpetrators have not yet received fitting punishment. Only a mock trial was conducted to cover up the crime, and then sentencing verdicts on the tools that carried out the crime. As for the real killer, whom the whole world knows, is free.

Through my numerous encounters with the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, I can emphasize that Jamal was not a political opponent in the conventional sense. On the contrary, he was very careful not to be labeled a political dissident. Jamal was of the opinion that Saudi political performance, whether at the domestic  or external level, contradicts the vital interests of the Saudi state.

Among the issues that made Jamal Khashoggi level some soft criticism at Saudi foreign policy is the Saudi position on the Arab Spring. He was rightly seeing that there was not even a single rational reason for Saudi Arabia to stand against the region’s change movement, especially since the Kingdom was met with hostility by nobody. Hostility towards the Arab Spring has kept the region in a position of vulnerability, a thing that will have negative repercussions with regard to Arab national security. Saudi Arabia should not have stood against the aspirations of the Arab peoples for freedom and democratic regimes, Jamal said.

Regardless of the views and positions of Jamal Khashoggi, which may naturally provoke controversy and have supporters and opponents, the moral, humanitarian and religious principle compels everyone to be against the killing and dismemberment of his body, as the scene of his murder is only seen in horror films.

 

Dear friends, 

On the third anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey by higher order, we must continue to work to bring the perpetrators before real courts and not before courts clearly driven by a purely political agenda..

Undoubtedly, Jamal Khashoggi went through difficult moments before he was killed. He saw his killers with his own eyes, but he had not known how they would get rid of him.

This incident will remain an example of how brutal dictatorial regimes are and how arrogant and savage oppressors are, and of the absence of justice. Therefore, there is an urgent need for unremitting efforts to show the truth on the one hand, and punish the killers on the other.

I understand that this is difficult in practice. However, fingers should be clearly pointed at the real killer. It is true that it may be difficult to conduct a real trial at the present time. But the human conscience must be awakened to confront such crimes, and we must not underestimate God’s punishment for the oppressors..

 

Dear friends, 

Here, some may ask that in today's world, thousands die as a result of massive human rights violations, so why should we concentrate on Jamal Khashoggi in particular?! The answer is simply because the world has never faced such a challenge. Never before has a country kidnapped one of its citizens and cut him with a chainsaw inside its consulate.

Jamal Khashoggi is a world-known figure who was killed and his body was disarmed using a chainsaw by his State, Saudi Arabia, which is a member state of the United Nations and maintains diplomatic relations with the word’s countries. He was not killed by a rogue gang or an extremist terrorist organization.

If this was the fate of a person who was expressing his own opinions from inside America and via the Washington Post, a person who was roaming the whole world and whose relations extended to the highest levels of decision-making and well-established democracies like the United States of America and European countries, then what would be fate of those opposing the Saudi regime at home?!!! The same goes for many places across the word, where their rulers are still oppressing those disagreeing with them and having different views and opinions, without any fear of law or punishment.

The brutal assassination of Jamal Khashoggi was tantamounted to a blatant challenge to the whole world and a human rights violation that may be only a beginning of a series of similar, open and shocking violations unless the world deals adequately and responsibly with this crime based on the global heritage of struggle for the protection of human rights and freedoms all over the world.

Part of global mobilization towards this crime is attributed to the fear that the killing of Khashoggi in such a horrific manner will legitimize terrorism and crimes by the state against people for no other reason than that they have a different point of view. Despite all this human solidarity, mobilization and unprecedented global disapproval, I believe that the killer will not hesitate to commit more terrible crimes in case justice is not served.

What Saudi Arabia has committed constitutes a great challenge because it will constitute a model for getting rid of journalists, political activists and human rights defenders. There are many tyrants around the world who are aware of the crime, and they will not hesitate to deal with their opponents in a manner no less horrific and criminal than what happened to our friend Jamal Khashoggi.

This delinquency is not practiced by states, no matter how savage and primitive their policies are. Putting an end to this authoritarian madness, which expressed itself in an ISIS way, begins with revealing the truth, the whole truth. We want to know where the body is, what happened to it in detail and how it was disposed of. The whole story must be revealed from beginning to end, and the matter should lead to the prosecution of all those involved without exception.

All those seeking justice should demand that those involved be tried outside Saudi Arabia, as the Saudi judiciary does not have any independence to take this case. Yes, the trial of those involved should be in the International Criminal Court in The Hague because the course of justice there will be ensured, and therefore any the results will be trusted.

Jamal Khashoggi must get his full right from his killers. I can almost hear Jamal Khashoggi's soul screaming at all of us, I want justice, I want the killer to be punished, as he was so ugly, cruel and arrogant with me. I want justice so that no more crimes are committed against ordinary people for their own views disliked by this ruler or that tyrant. I want justice for all of you. 

In conclusion, we have to talk about Jamal Khashoggi the way he used to like, he was not a political opponent, he was just a reformer. For me, I highly admire the true political opposition, wherever it is. I think Jamal had the same view of mine. But he never considered himself more than an advocate of reform from within the regime's circle.

Jamal Khashoggi passed away, leaving a set of important lessons that should be a source of inspiration for us in our struggles and in our lives. Perhaps among the most prominent of these lessons is that a person is ultimately able to choose their location and have a free opinion, even if they are under a tyrannical rule. As for the lesson that Jamal did not understand until moments before his murder, it is that tyrannical regimes should not be trusted, no matter how many promises they make.

I want to note that Mohammed bin Salman deals with my country the same brutal way he did with his compatriot Jamal Khashoggi, with bombardment, siege, starvation, division of the country and various tools and forms of death. I renew the call for the criminal Mohammed bin Salman to be prosecuted for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and for his crimes in Yemen, both of which are crimes against humanity.

 

Dear friends, 

I remember that the Trump administration clearly colluded with the killers of Jamal Khashoggi, and the United Nations failed to take any effective step towards prosecuting the real killer who ordered the killing accountable, even though they had enough evidence. We had expected the Biden administration to act differently in this regard, as promised in last election campaign. Biden administration is also assumed to be more aligned with rights and freedoms in the world. But so far, it has not taken any step in this direction. It is very unfortunate that the two administrations seem to respond similarly. I call on the Biden administration to take a clear position that ensures that bin Salman and his regime will be punished for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was legally residing in the United States and working for the Washington Post newspaper.

May Allah have mercy on Jamal and grant his family and beloved ones faith and patience to endure this painful departure!