The fiancee of murdered Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged Canadian superstar Justin Bieber to cancel his appearance at Formula One (F1) in protest of a regime that kills its critics”.
The pop star is due to perform at the iconic F1 race on December 5th in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
In an article at the Washington Post, Hatice Cengiz penned a letter to Bieber, saying his invitation to Jeddah “comes directly from [Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – MBS]”.
She continued: “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.”
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She went on to cite Bieber’s recent message to his followers, where he said: “I want to use the platform I have to remind people that racism is evil and it is ingrained in our culture,” and said he should use his platform to support the cause of human rights in Saudi.
“All forms of oppression are evil, no matter where they occur”, she said.
Khashoggi was murdered on October 2, 2019. He entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and never emerged.
It has been alleged by multiple sources, including a CIA report, that MBS personally ordered the execution of Khashoggi, for his vocal opposition to the regime.
His body has never been recovered.