In response to the reports that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, PEN America Senior Director of Free Expression Programs Summer Lopez released the following statement:
“The reported state-sponsored assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a shocking abomination. If Khashoggi was indeed murdered inside a diplomatic facility, it is an act of terror that echoes Russian and Chinese tactics of extra-territorial, extra-judicial attacks on dissidents, intended to intimidate any who would speak out against the Saudi government, no matter where they may be, and giving the lie to official narratives of ‘reform’ in Saudi Arabia. If Saudi authorities wish to counter these claims, they must produce Khashoggi immediately. If the killing is confirmed, those responsible for this heinous crime must be held accountable.”
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CONTACT: Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Manager: [email protected]