Saudi Arabia needs to explain disappearance

On Tuesday, October 2, a journalist and prominent critic of the Saudi Arabian government said goodbye to his fiancee outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and went inside to retrieve a document needed for their marriage.

Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since. Turkish officials claim he was murdered by Saudi agents inside the consulate, and that his body was dismembered and removed from the building. The best-case alternative scenario is that Khashoggi was kidnapped and flown back to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials say the Turkish claims are baseless and that Khashoggi came and went from the consulate the same day unhindered. But this is not supported by any evidence. On the contrary, Turkish police and intelligence sources have steadily leaked information about unexplained Saudi government activity in Istanbul on the day. The Turkish Government says the onus is on Saudi Arabia to prove its claim that Khashoggi left the consulate alive and well. We agree, and say that Riyadh must respond convincingly.

That’s because the one bit of indisputable evidence in this mystery is that Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate. The only thing that could exonerate Saudi Arabia completely would be his reappearance, in good health and with an explanation for his disappearance. With every day that goes by, that outcome seems less likely.