Justin Bieber has been urged to cancel an upcoming concert in Saudi Arabia by the fiancée of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi — who was killed in 2018 after walking into Istanbul's Saudi consulate to obtain documents that he required to get married — wrote critical Washington Post pieces about Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi intervention in Yemen. He was assassinated by a group of operatives tied to the prince in an alleged response.
While the prince denied responsibility, it was concluded by CIA and UN investigators that he'd ordered Khashoggi's murder. Since the killing, backlash against the Saudi government has only grown more intense, and companies and artists that choose to work in Saudi Arabia have faced particular scrutiny.
This includes Bieber, who is currently facing a large-scale campaign asking him to pull out of a concert on December 5 that also includes A$AP Rocky, David Guetta, Jason Derulo and Tiesto.
Bieber is set to headline the show following the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, and this past weekend, an open letter to the pop star was published in the Washington Post by Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
Cengiz calls out Bieber directly and asks that he cancel his performance: "Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal. Please speak out and condemn his killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions. If you refuse to be a pawn of MBS, your message will be loud and clear: I do not perform for dictators. I choose justice and freedom over money."
On top of that, there's also a guerilla-style campaign unfolding that urges Bieber to cancel his appearance, with mobile billboards and a plan banner with messages like "It's Not Too Late Now to Say Sorry. Don't Sing for Saudi Arabia's Dictator!" and "Why is Bieber singing for Saudi killers?"
So far there's been no response from Bieber or his team, but he also hasn't been promoting his Saudi show whatsoever.
You can see tweets featuring the billboards and banners below.
Khashoggi — who was killed in 2018 after walking into Istanbul's Saudi consulate to obtain documents that he required to get married — wrote critical Washington Post pieces about Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi intervention in Yemen. He was assassinated by a group of operatives tied to the prince in an alleged response.
While the prince denied responsibility, it was concluded by CIA and UN investigators that he'd ordered Khashoggi's murder. Since the killing, backlash against the Saudi government has only grown more intense, and companies and artists that choose to work in Saudi Arabia have faced particular scrutiny.
This includes Bieber, who is currently facing a large-scale campaign asking him to pull out of a concert on December 5 that also includes A$AP Rocky, David Guetta, Jason Derulo and Tiesto.
Bieber is set to headline the show following the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, and this past weekend, an open letter to the pop star was published in the Washington Post by Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
Cengiz calls out Bieber directly and asks that he cancel his performance: "Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal. Please speak out and condemn his killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions. 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."
On top of that, there's also a guerilla-style campaign unfolding that urges Bieber to cancel his appearance, with mobile billboards and a plan banner with messages like "It's Not Too Late Now to Say Sorry. Don't Sing for Saudi Arabia's Dictator!" and "Why is Bieber singing for Saudi killers?"
So far there's been no response from Bieber or his team, but he also hasn't been promoting his Saudi show whatsoever.
You can see tweets featuring the billboards and banners below.