(Washington, D.C., October 2, 2025) – Seven years after the murder of the organization's founder, Jamal Khashoggi, on October 2, 2018, by Saudi agents of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, DAWN issues the following statement:
"Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is a murderer, and whatever billions he spends to grease the palms of politicians and businessmen around the world won't erase that," said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's executive director. "All those singing for their supper for a few gold coins from Saudi Arabia aren't just whitewashing the murder of Khashoggi, they're fueling the impunity that will encourage such crimes to continue."
"Seven years later, our demands have not changed: Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman must be held accountable for this gruesome murder," said Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director. "Impunity for this heinous act of transnational repression is exactly why governments think they can target and kill any critic, any journalist, wherever, whenever they want."
"Seven years ago, the world lost a man whose voice will never be silenced: my friend Jamal Khashoggi," said Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman, DAWN's board member. "Khashoggi was not only a great journalist, but a seeker of freedom, a defender of democracy, and a courageous witness for those who have no voice. His brutal and horrific murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul must never be forgotten."
"Exactly seven years since the murder of Khashoggi, it is shameful that international comedians and entertainers are flocking to Riyadh to perform," said Jarrar. "Their jokes on Saudi stages are a failed attempt to normalize the murder of government critics. They mock the very value of free expression for which Khashoggi gave his life."
