RNA - Ray al-Youm, a key news website monitoring developments in the Arab world, said on Saturday that the regime in Riyadh had banned Jamal Khashoqji, the head of al-Arab TV channel, from publishing his statements and articles both online and in the printed media.
Key TV stations have also been ordered to stop conducting interviews with the journalist.
Ray al-Youm said Khashoqji had also been banned from attending key conferences and gatherings that are covered by the mainstream media.
Even news channels in other countries, including the Qatar-owned Al-Jazeera, have been warned against inviting the Saudi journalist to their programs.
The ban reportedly came after Khashoqji made a recent interview with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he said Saudi Arabia was deeply worried by the election of Trump as the US president. He said Trump’s harsh rhetoric against Muslims during his election campaign had alarmed the Saudi government.
Some Saudi officials had previously disclaimed Khashoqji’s remarks about the results of the US election.
The Saudi regime is known for its lack of tolerance for freedom of speech. Many activists have been jailed or handed down draconian sentences in the country for expressing their views on social media. However, Khashoqji’s case is a rare one involving a pro-government figure who has a long record of serving the kingdom in various media outlets.
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