Jamal Khashoggi’s death in 2018 in Istanbul ushers in new scrutiny.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken released a statement about the unclassified documents submitted to Congress on Friday regarding the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. He announced a new visa restriction, the “Khashoggi Ban,” under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Secretary Blinken stated, “The Khashoggi Ban allows the State Department to impose visa restrictions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, are believed to have been directly engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including those that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work, or who engage in such activities with respect to the families or other close associates of such persons.”
76 Saudi nationals have had visa restrictions implemented under the new ban.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the State Department to take appropriate measures with regard to international threats to freedom of expression.
- That Secretary Blinken would be given discernment to lead international diplomatic efforts.
Sources: State Department, CNN
