Jamal Khashoggi is the Washington Post columnist who has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. While he was there, Khashoggi was drugged, beaten and killed by Saudi operatives. Afterwards, his body was later dismembered. In the presence of top Saudi diplomats, a journalist was murdered because of the work he had been doing, holding his government accountable to its people.

There were many speculations about what exactly happened to Khashoggi until a pro-government newspaper in Turkey obtained recordings indicating the he was tortured in the office of the Saudi Arabia’s consul general, Mohammad al-Otaibi.

Abel Billard replied,“It’s crazy how we hear other government do this to their people but I never thought that America would ever let something like this happen and not do anything about it.”

U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompe, had visited the royal family of Saudi Arabia and has refused to say whether or not he heard of Khashoggi’s murder then. This creates a major implication for the Trump administration.

There has been a great injustice done and to withhold information about a dead  journalist exercising their first amendment right, which is terrifying. Both sides of the isle are putting immense pressure into the President’s administration to take actions.

“The press serves the people instead of the government and the people need a voice that can be heard and press is the voice” said Elfaz Wondirad.

In the light of all this pressure, Trump compared the condemnation of Saudi officials to the sexual assault accusations against Justice Kavanaugh. We have a president in office who doesn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. A man has been killed because he was he believed in and practiced the freedom of the press.

This historical purpose of having a press for the people is to establish a balance that holds the government accountable.The freedom of press is so important to the people because we need to know we can trust our government. If our government refuses to protect a system that holds it accountable, how are the people expected to trust their government.

Khashoggi worked for an American news publication and actively produced content about the struggle he and his people endured, and it cost him his life. We are told our rights to freedom of press are protected, yet this man wasn’t protected even in death.

“The media is what holds our government and its officials accountable for their actions. From Nixon’s Watergate to Bill Clinton’s scandal, the press keeps our democratic republic in check.” Says Marid.