The fiance of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has asked Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming concert in Saudi Arabia next month. The Canadian singer is one of the stars who will appear at the Kingdom of Jeddah’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix. But Hatice Chengiz wrote an open letter to Bieber asking him to “send a strong message” by withdrawing.
Hashoghi, a prominent critic of the Saudi regime, was assassinated in his consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. He goes there to get documents for the couple’s marriage. Instead, the reporters’ bodies were dismembered while Chengiz waited outside. “Don’t sing about the killer of my beloved Jamal,” wrote Ms. Chengiz in a letter published in the Washington Post.
He said Bieber had a “unique opportunity” to demonstrate that his “name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that murdered its critics.”
Bieber will host the F1 competition on December 5 and join artists like A$AP Rocky, David Guetta, and Jason Derulo.
Human Rights Watch also urged Bieber and other artists to withdraw from the Formula 1 concert. Because the event’s purpose was to distract from the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. A United States intelligence report found that Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, approved Hashoghi’s assassination. However, the heir to the throne has repeatedly denied involvement.
The 59-year-old journalist had been an adviser to the Saudi government. And the royal family but fell out of favor and went into self-selected exile in the United States in 2017. Bieber is not the first star to face pressure to retire from concerts in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, rapper Nicki Minaj canceled a planned appearance in Jeddah, citing her support for women and LGBT rights.