Saudi Arabia Executes Prominent Journalist for Treason – Chilling Prophetic Tweet

The Saudi Arabian government executed renowned journalist Turki al-Jasser, who was arrested in 2018 and convicted on what press freedom advocates call ‘false charges.’ In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated: ‘The failure of the international community to deliver justice for Jamal Khashoggi not only betrayed one journalist—it emboldened de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to continue his crackdown on the press.’ A chillingly prophetic tweet from al-Jasser in 2014 read: ‘An Arab writer can easily be killed by their government under the pretext of “national security.”’ On Saturday, June 14, 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced that al-Jasser was executed in Riyadh for crimes including ‘ultimate betrayal through communication and conspiracy against the kingdom’s security with external entities.’ Around 40 years old at the time of execution, al-Jasser faced beheading after seven years in detention, during which he reportedly endured torture, according to dissidents speaking with The Guardian. This marks the first high-profile killing of a journalist by the Saudi state since Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in 2018, where the Washington Post columnist and prominent critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was lured into and killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.