Justin Bieber faces pressure from Khashoggi’s fiancé to pull out of Saudi Arabia performance

By Monica Athnasious

Published Nov 22, 2021 at 11:01 AM

Reading time: 1 minute

24747

Fiancé of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi—Hatice Cengiz—is urging Canadian singer Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming performance in Saudi Arabia’s city of Jeddah on 5 December. The performance is taking place at the upcoming Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Cengiz made her plea known in an open letter written and published in The Washington Post. In it, she recited the details of the case and stated:

“That’s why I am writing to you with a plea: Cancel your 5 [December] performance in Saudi Arabia. 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.”

Khashoggi, a well-respected journalist for The Washington Post and open critic of Saudi Arabia, was famously and brutally murdered in Istanbul by a team thought to be directly linked to Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)—Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.  He was killed at the country’s consulate where he had gone to collect the paperwork needed to marry Cengiz. She was waiting for him outside. In fact, since then, evidence has made apparent that it was more than just a link.

In February 2021, a US intelligence report carried out by President Joe Biden’s administration stated that MBS was implicated in the murder of the journalist but no direct action or punishment was taken against the royal. The prince has long denied any involvement in the killing.

“Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal. Please speak out and condemn his killer,” Cengiz continued in her letter, “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.”

Bieber is not the only star set to headline at the race. Among him are other artists like A$AP Rocky, David Guetta and Jason Derulo.

Along with Cengiz’s pleas for performers to pull out of the event, human rights organisation Human Rights Watch stated, “Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and major international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses” and “urges those who are courted for events sponsored by the Saudi government to speak out publicly on rights issues or, when reputation laundering is the primary purpose, not participate.”

Citing Bieber’s previous pledges to use his platform for justice, Cengiz wrote, “Please use your platform now to support the cause of human rights in Saudi Arabia. This year, you released an album that you titled Justice. You also released one titled ‘Freedom’. Saudi Arabia is in dire need of both.”

Keep On Reading

By Abby Amoakuh

New video game that allows men to r*pe female family members triggers backlash amid incel concerns

By Eliza Frost

Zayn Malik’s new song suggests One Direction era wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows

By Abby Amoakuh

Tiktoker gets slammed by dermatologists for promoting dangerous caveman skincare regime

By Matilda Ferraris

From Ballerina Cappuccina to Trallalero Trallalà, we unpack the darker undertones of Italian brainrot

By Charlie Sawyer

Bianca Censori to become the new face of SKIMS? Sources hint at Kim Kardashian alliance

By Eliza Frost

Everything you need to know about Trump’s state visit, including that Epstein projection

By Charlie Sawyer

Is Brooklyn Beckham feuding with his family? Rumours circulate after the chef skips his dad David Beckham’s 50th birthday

By Eliza Frost

What is Banksying? Inside the latest toxic dating trend even worse than ghosting

By Julie Huynh

Hockey fan edits are taking over TikTok, and it’s all thanks to Gen Z girlies

By Charlie Sawyer

Chris Brown is facing over 10 years in prison. Here’s how his violent past has led him here

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Celebrities call out Blue Origin for sending Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez to space

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 proves we’ll never be over love triangles

By Eliza Frost

Netflix is predicting your next favourite show based on your zodiac sign 

By Eliza Frost

How The Summer I Turned Pretty licensed so much of Taylor Swift’s discography for its soundtrack 

By Charlie Sawyer

Madison Beer opens up about reconnecting with the person who leaked her explicit photos as a teen

By Abby Amoakuh

BLACKPINK’s Lisa faces backlash after wearing civil rights icon Rosa Parks on her crotch at Met Gala

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Robert F. Kennedy Jr declares war on teen sperm count, stating it’s an existential crisis

By Eliza Frost

Everyone’s posing like Nicki Minaj: the TikTok trend explained 

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Chris Briney is at the centre of a new love triangle, but this time for an audio erotica story 

By Eliza Frost

If everyone has an AI boyfriend, what does that mean for the future of Gen Z dating?