'An unprecedented gathering': Saudi activists unite in US to discuss ending kingdom's autocracy
'An unprecedented gathering': Saudi activists unite in US to discuss ending kingdom's autocracy
The Quest for Democracy in Saudi Arabia conference brought together activists and policymakers from across the world
Inside a ballroom at the Gaylord Convention Center overlooking the National Harbor outside of Washington DC, Saudi dissidents and activists from all over the diaspora came together for an in-person conference to discuss the elusive prospects of a representative government in Saudi Arabia chosen by its citizens.
Since coming to power in 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched a crackdown on political dissidents, human rights advocates, and critics of the government.
The attention towards the campaign of repression reached a climax when Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post and Middle East Eye, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey on 2 October 2018.
There was worldwide outrage over the murder, and though the crown prince denied responsibility for the murder, the Biden administration in 2021 released an intelligence memo stating that the killing could not have taken place without the crown prince knowing.
I’m actually proud of my country here. We will house dissidents of all tyranny and allow them to speak freely
And also support the tyranny oppressing those people with weapons, which is the reason those people are suffering to begin with
yeah no thanks, they can keep their "freedom" in the US
You think that the Saudi population would rather keep living in a country that chops up journalists for fun?
The Saudi monarchy is entirely propped upon religious fundamentalism, and the oil currently ruining the climate, I say the sooner they find another system the better.