The mystery surrounding the disappearance of renowned Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has irritated some Islamist elements of Turkey's ruling elite, but doesn't seem to have resonated with the Turkish public as much as it has outside Turkey. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, hasn't been seen in public since he entered the Saudi consulate Oct. 2 in Istanbul.
The Turkish public is familiar with extrajudicial killings and the disappearance of dissidents. Indeed, for years, dozens of people have gathered in Istanbul’s central Taksim neighborhood every Saturday seeking to learn the fate of their loved ones who disappeared during Turkey’s troubled 1980s and 1990s. The protesters staging these sit-ins are called “Saturday Mothers.”
