Saudi Arabia Executes Journalist Amid Rising Capital Punishment

Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed after being convicted on charges including high treason, following his social media posts alleging corruption and human rights abuses by the Saudi royal family. Arrested in 2018, al-Jasser reportedly endured torture during his seven-year detention and was believed to be behind an anonymous Twitter account critical of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His execution marks the first high-profile journalist killing under MBS since the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, highlighting ongoing risks for dissenters in Saudi Arabia. Despite international attention to Khashoggi's case, reactions to al-Jasser's execution have been muted, underscoring concerns about impunity and lack of legal protections for journalists in the kingdom. The case raises questions about the Saudi regime's crackdown on digital dissent and the role of the crown prince in sanctioning such actions. President Donald Trump's prior statements suggesting the U.S. would overlook Saudi human rights violations in favor of economic and strategic interests have come under scrutiny amid this latest execution.