By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The Washington Post began a new advertisement campaign Thursday aimed at applying pressure on Saudi Arabia's senior leadership to provide the true series of events behind Jamal Khashoggi's killing.
The newspaper’s digital and print "Demand the Truth" effort for answers in the death of their columnist places the tagline below a portrait of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, widely suspected of orchestrating the plot that led to Khashoggi's disappearance. Bin Salman has denied the charge.
"On Tuesday, October 2 Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul and was brutally murdered," the full-page advertisement reads as bin Salman looms large.
It is accompanied by a brief 15-second video bearing the same content.
Khashoggi was last seen that day when he entered the consulate.
After days of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials last week said Khashoggi was killed in a "brawl" at the consulate. But no body has been produced and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance after initially claiming he left the diplomatic facility in Istanbul, and then claiming he might have been murdered by "rogue killers."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's "murder was premeditated," a finding the Saudis appeared to inch closer to Thursday as the Kingdom's public prosecutor said evidence provided by Turkey indicated Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance.
After initially striking a positive tone on Saudi Arabia's "brawl" explanation for Khashoggi's death, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a markedly more pessimistic approach in recent days, claiming Saudi Arabia's explanation is the "worst coverup ever."