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Prominent Saudi critic's disappearance sends a stark reminder of the Kingdom’s brutal crackdown on dissent

The dissappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a popular contributor for the Washington Post who at one point was an adviser to senior officials in the Saudi government, sends a clear message to other detractors.

  • Jamal Khashoggi
  • has become an international intrigue fueling speculation of a shadowy, political murder.
  • Saudi Arabia strongly denies Turkish allegations that a special hit team flew in to kill Khashoggi and remove the body.
  • But analysts and Saudi expats say Khashoggi was likely killed to send a message about the long arm of Saudi's violent new ruler.

It's been a full week since journalist and prominent Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul

200 people, many of whom were members of the Royal Family as part of what it called an "anti-corruption campaign." Witnesses spoke of detainees being physically abused and coerced into forfeiting a reported $100 billion reportedly used to fund welfare programs and tackle the country's mounting debt.

The move was seen as a major power grab by the Crown Prince over those in the Kingdom that could potentially pose a threat to his throne.

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The Crown Prince has also arrested several popular religious figures, many with large social media presence, in order to tightly control the Kingdom's religious messaging and demand loyalty from figures that have influence over the masses.

Not even Saudi Arabia's borders have contained the Prince's consolidation of power.

In December, Saudi Arabia appeared to hold Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri against his will while visiting Saudi Arabia, forcing him to announce his resignation on TV in a reported ploy to stoke tensions with rival Iran and its proxy group Hezbollah, which holds political power in Lebanon.

Several human rights activists, many who campaigned for the women's right to drive and some who were held without charge, were targeted in a flurry of arrests and were quickly branded as "traitors" of the Kingdom.

A comment urging the release of the activists from Canada prompted Saudi Arabia to cut almost all ties with Ottawa in a series of actions potentially designed to signal the Kingdom's weaponized response to international condemnation.

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In recent months, vocal critics of the government, including an Amnesty International staff member and a popular Youtube personality were targeted by Saudi agents who reportedly installed spyware on their devices to track their every move.

According to Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi national who sought political refuge in Canada, the Saudi government arrested his family and friends and threatened dire consequences unless he silenced his political broadcasts against the Kingdom.

"I'm worried. Bad things are happening now in Saudi Arabia and no one can predict how crazy they'll get," he told Business Insider in August.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor

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