Jamal Khashoggi’s Fiancee Pleads With Justin Bieber to Cancel Show in Saudi Arabia: ‘A Regime That Kills Its Critics’

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Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, published an open letter to Justin Beiber in the Washinton Post over the weekend, pleading with him not to perform for the regime that murdered her fiancee.

Cengiz reminds Beiber that “a little over three years ago” Khashoggi’s “brutal murder made headlines all over the world” and that “ever since, many human rights organizations and individuals, including myself, have been calling for justice and accountability.”

“Cancel your Dec. 5 performance in Saudi Arabia,” she pleads with the singer. “This is a unique opportunity to send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.”

In 2018, a team of Saudi agents murdered the journalist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was going to pick up documents for his upcoming wedding to Cengiz – his body was never discovered.

Bieber is scheduled to headline at Saudi Arabia’s Formula One Race in Jeddah with other artists like ASAP Rocky, David Guetta, and Jason Derulo.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has made diversifying Saudi Arabia’s economy and attracting foreign investment a pillar of his reform program. However, MBS has also been directly implicated in the slaying of Khashoggi – a journalist and former Washington Post columnist who was critical of the crown prince.

Cengiz says her fiancee was “murdered inside the consulate by operatives acting on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman” and concludes:

Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal. Please speak out and condemn his killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions.

If you refuse to be a pawn of MBS, your message will be loud and clear: I do not perform for dictators. I choose justice and freedom over money.