An Open Letter To Justin Bieber Who Wants To Concert In Jeddah: Don't Sing To The Murderer Of Beloved Jamal

Photo via Instagram @justinbieber

JAKARTA - Justin Bieber will perform in Saudi Arabia on December 5th. But there is an open letter asking specifically that Bieber never want to come to Saudi let alone to sing.

The request came from Hatice Cengiz.

For those who don't know, Hatice Cengiz is the fiancée of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who died formless due to an acid solution at the Saudi Embassy in Turkey. According to a Turkish investigation, Khashoggi died by being strangled and then dismembered. Next, the body parts were dissolved in an acidic liquid to remove traces.

Hatice Cengiz wrote an open letter and was published by the Washington Post.

Jamal Khashoggi. (Wikimedia Commons/April Brady)

Cengiz asked Bieber to cancel the show and 'sent' a strong message to the world. Cengiz hopes Bieber will not want to be used to restore the reputation of the regime that killed its critics.

"That's why I am writing to you with a request: Cancel your December 5 concert in Saudi Arabia," Hatice Cengiz wrote last week as quoted by The Guardian, Monday 22 November.

"Don't sing to the killers of beloved Jamal," Cengiz wrote.

“Please speak up and curse the killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions."

Bieber, who is of Canadian nationality, is among a group of artists scheduled to perform when Saudi Arabia hosts the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah.

“If you refuse to be a pawn of MBS, your message will be loud and clear: I don't stand for the dictator. I choose justice and freedom over money," Cengiz wrote, using the crown prince's initials.

Human rights groups have urged players to speak out against human rights issues in the kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses,” Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

The advocacy group urged the players, who also include rappers A$AP Rocky, DJs David Guetta and Tiesto and singer Jason Derulo, "to speak openly about rights issues or, when reputation laundering is the primary goal, not to participate."

The United Nations human rights office confirmed the accuracy of the statements published by the independent expert, who is leading the investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, in relation to the threat by a senior Saudi Arabian official Wednesday, March 24.

"We can confirm that the details in the Guardian's story about threats directed at Agnes Callamard are accurate," UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said in an email reply to Reuters.

"The UN human rights office has received the notification from Callamard, as well as the UN Security Council and relevant authorities," he added.

The confirmation departs from The Guardian newspaper which the day before, quoted Agnes Callamard, the UN expert on brief killings, as saying a Saudi official had threatened he would be 'taken care of' if he did not limit his involvement in the investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Mohammed bin Salman. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

Callamard said the threat was made during a January 2020 meeting between Saudi Arabian and UN officials in Geneva. He said he was informed of the incident by a UN colleague.

The alleged threats were made during a meeting between Geneva-based Saudi Arabian diplomats, the visiting Saudi delegation and UN officials, The Guardian reported. After the Saudis criticized Callamard's work on the case, the newspaper reported, a senior Saudi official said he had spoken to people who were ready to "look after him."