Ep 5: Iyad el-Baghdadi

Iyad el-Baghdadi tells Nicola about the murder of his friend, Jamal Khashoggi; the threats he has faced from the Saudi government; and the changes he has had to make in his own life since that day.

Show Notes

On the second of October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, arguably Saudi Arabia’s most prominent journalist and an outspoken critic of the country’s government, walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents he needed to get married. But he never reappeared.

Investigators later concluded that Jamal Khashoggi had been ambushed, forcibly restrained, drugged and asphyxiated. His body was then dismembered, stuffed into bags and discarded by fifteen Saudi assassins connected to the crown prince, Mohammed bin-Salman, or MBS.

Six months after the murder, Iyad el-Baghdadi, a prominent writer and a friend to Jamal Khashoggi, was visited by the Norwegian Security services at his home in Oslo, where they informed him that there was a credible threat to his life. Here he describes what happened and how his life has changed since then.

What is Silenced?

Stories from journalists and activists around the world, whose governments attempt to rein them in and cover up the truth.

'Silenced' is a podcast from human rights organisation ARTICLE 19, hosted by Nicola Kelly and produced by Chris Hooton.

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