Saudi journalist Turki Al-Jasser, who had been imprisoned since 2018, was executed on Saturday after Saudi Arabia’s top court upheld his death sentence. Human rights organisations claim the charges against him stemmed from posts he made on social media that criticised government officials and the royal family.
Saudi Arabia Executes Journalist Over Critical Social Media Posts
According to the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Jasser, believed to be in his late 40s, was convicted of terrorism and treason. He had been arrested in 2018 after security officials raided his home, confiscating his electronics. Details about where he was tried or how long the proceedings lasted remain unknown.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York, stated that Al-Jasser had been accused of running a critical X (formerly Twitter) account that shared allegations of corruption involving members of the Saudi royal family. He also reportedly criticised armed groups in his posts.
Turki Al-Jasser Killed After Secret Trial, Rights Groups Outraged
Carlos Martínez de la Serna, programme director at CPJ, told the Associated Press, “The international community’s failure to deliver justice for Jamal Khashoggi did not just betray one journalist.” He added that it had “emboldened de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to continue his persecution of the press.”
Jeed Basyouni of Reprieve, an anti-death penalty organisation, also expressed outrage. “Al-Jasser was tried and convicted in total secrecy for the ‘crime’ of journalism,” she said.
Al-Jasser had written extensively on controversial topics like the Arab Spring, corruption, and women’s rights. He was also known for running a personal blog between 2013 and 2015.
This execution has drawn comparisons to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence later concluded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the operation, though the Saudi government denies his involvement.
Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty has been widely criticised. In 2024 alone, the kingdom reportedly carried out 330 executions.
In recent years, others have faced severe punishments for their online activities. A British analyst working for Bank of America was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month. This was done over a deleted post.
In a similar case, Saad Almadi, a U.S.-Saudi national, was jailed in 2021. He was jailed for tweets he posted while in the U.S. Though released in 2023, he remains barred from leaving Saudi Arabia.
