Khashoggi Case Triggers Boycott Against Washington Post Owner

Saudis are boycotting Amazon affiliate, Souq.com, in protest of the Washington Post, both partially owned by Jeff Bezos, who they say is damaging Saudi Arabia's reputation and its attempts to modernize.

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Since the death of Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. newspaper has mercilessly pursued the murder and denounced the crime as a cover-up by the Saudi government.

The Post’s constant coverage on the death has created a “media campaign” that “defames” the country and its top officials, Saudi Journalist Bandar Otyf tweeted to his 105,000 followers after an op-ed from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was published accusing Saudi authorities of premeditated murder.

"As Twitter users and activists and citizens, we don't have power abroad, but we have simple things like boycotting. Let's defend our nation ... boycott Amazon to send a message to its owner so he is aware of the scale of the damage," Otyf said.

One social media user supported the initiative, writing, "It's not acceptable, the [Amazon] owner is the same owner of the paper that attacks our nation and its leaders."

Though thousands have rallied behind the boycott,  one Twitter user showed doubts, writing, “Amazon's owner has a stake in Twitter, so if you were serious, then boycott Twitter too.”

Although Bezos hasn’t made a public statement, Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan said Thursday that the columnist was “lured into a death trap” and began a movement, the Press Freedom Partnership,  to “increase awareness of the importance of an independent press.”

The dissident Saudi journalist Khashoggi went into a self-imposed exile to the United States and became a vocal critic of the crown prince while working with the Washington Post in the U.S.

On Oct. 2, he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get some papers for his marriage when he went missing. After weeks of denial, the Saudi Arabia government confirmed that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate in a rogue operation of which crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) supposedly had no idea.

On Friday, Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Erdogan and a friend of Khashoggi told Hurriyat newspaper, "According to the latest information we have, the reason they dismembered his body is to dissolve it easier. They aimed to ensure no sign of the body was left."