Since the inception of the press, journalism has been under attacks, and journalists have been killed for the work in which they are involved. Jamal Khashoggi is the most current murder victim. His assassination is viewed as a revenge killing for his critique of the Saudi Monarchy and also as an attack on journalism as a profession.

In a world of democracy, journalism ensures the exercise of checks and balances among branches of the government. It is also the pillar of our democracy. Sadly, as a means of silencing journalists, they often fall victims to assassinations for their work.

As UNESCO reports, between 2006 and 2016, approximately 930 journalists were killed because of their work. Of this statistic, the terror attack of January 7, 2015 on Charlie Hebdo, the French Weekly and satirical cartoons, resulted in the death of 9 journalists and 3 others. Most recently, the world witnesses the brutal assassination of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi who was a Saudi-born Washington Post columnist was allegedly assassinated and dismembered on October 2, 2018 inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey. Last fall, his murder produced a backlash. It was, so to speak, the crime of the century.

The world was in a state of shock; most world leaders became vehemently critical of the Saudi monarchy for its assumed role in the gruesome murder of the journalist. People in the media around the world have been protesting and demanding justice for Khashoggi.

The version of the Saudis in Khashoggi’s assassination was contradictory. At first, they were in denial. Then, as evidence coming from the Turkish government, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and the media was mounting, they cracked. They took responsibility for the murder of the journalist, but they laid the blame on low-level rogue members of the royal government.

In the case of Khashoggi, he was a dissident and a critic of Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. His only guilt was his denunciation of corruption, human rights abuses and the barbaric system of the Saudi Kingdom. Let’s emphasize that Saudi Arabia which is governed by Sharia laws is very autocratic. No freedom of anything!

But with President Donald Trump repeatedly depicting the press as the enemy of the people, he, ironically, adds fuel to the burning fire. His fiery statement against the press feeds into the mind of those having an evil intent to harm journalists. In other words, has justice ever been served for all the carnage perpetrated on journalists?

Although the United Nations declares the end of impunity for the murder of journalists, it is reported that 9 out of 10 of those who kill journalists go unpunished. The fact is that, in the absence of the due process, the impunity goes unabated, justice almost never served and those who kill journalists are wreaking havoc everywhere. In view of all this, an anarchic society would be likely to develop.

It is evident that no real society can function without the media. Otherwise, it would become an elite-style society that engages in the manipulation of the mass with a wide cultural divide, and where its choice, desire and conduct are being dictated or imposed by the powerful.

Ah! Let’s pretend that such a society existed. But how about the First Amendment, which is the freedom of speech to which every citizen is entitled? Also, how about the role of the media in every society, which is to guide, to inform, to educate and to entertain? In any society, there can be no substitution to the media and no attacks that are strong enough to crumble their foundation.

As the world mourns the assassination of Khashoggi, one can’t help wondering about justice for him. However unlikely justice may seem, the International Court has a job to do. On the other hand, let’s pause and reflect for a moment.

Is the Saudi Monarchy so much above the law that it is exempt from being held accountable for its own alleged crime? Does Petro-dollar supersede moral and human value? Is it impunity as always? If it is the case, the tale, The Wolf and the Lamb,” is no longer a fable, but a fact in relation to Khashoggi’s killing.

Whatever befalls from the assassination of Khashoggi and that of all journalists around the world, every drop of blood they shed for their work adds a new dimension to the doctrine of journalism and to the conviction of all journalists. The legacy of Khashoggi lives on.

“Release my arm! What do you think you are doing? Traitor, we’ll deal with you.” These were Jamal Khashoggi’s final words as he was being tortured and killed at the Saudi embassy, according to Haaretz, a Turkish newspaper.

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