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Khashoggi not only journalist missing or slain

Thoughtful Americans ought to be concerned about the killing of a journalist who wrote columns about Saudi Arabia for the Washington Post. But what about the other 44 journalists who have met violent deaths this year? What about the 48 who perished in 2017?

Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian native who had moved to the United States, disappeared earlier this month. He was seen last as he entered Saudi Arabia’s consulant in Istanbul, Turkey. The Saudi Arabian government admitted Saturday that Khasshoggi was killed in the consulate.

Both Turkish and Saudi authorities are looking into the matter. So are U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump was pressured to rethink this country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. One allegation is that Khashoggi was killed on orders of some in the Saudi royal family.

A certain amount of international outrage is being expressed over the situation. It clearly is focused on the Saudi regime. For example, Germany’s foreign minister postponed a trip to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance.

Again, concern about Khashoggi is not misplaced. But one wonders why similar outrage is not seen when other journalists are murdered — sometimes clearly for political reasons.

What about Brazilian reporter Jefferson Pureza Lopes, murdered in January? He was a frequent critic of the government there.

What about Pamela Montenegro, a Mexican journalist who frequently criticized politicians in her country? She was murdered in February.

And what about Navin Nischal, whose reporting had been zeroing in on police corruption in India when he was killed in March?

There are others on the list of assassinations of journalists who may well have died because they angered powerful public officials in their countries.

Curious, is it not, that you have never heard of them or of any international campaign against the governments of their countries?

Of course, if Saudi officials were involved in Khashoggi’s disappearance, some action should be taken against that regime. The fact Saudi Arabia is a U.S. ally should have no bearing on the situation.

Neither should international alliances of any kind protect murderous government officials in other countries, however.

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