Justin Bieber urged to cancel gig in Saudi Arabia by Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée
Justin Bieber has been urged to cancel his forthcoming concert in Saudi Arabia next month by the fiancée of murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The pop star is due to perform in the city of Jeddah on December 5 as part of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
But Hatice Cengiz has called on Bieber to cancel the show.
In an open letter published in the Washington Post, Ms Cengiz wrote: “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.”
Khashoggi, a Saudi-born US resident and journalist, was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 by a team of men linked to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The crown prince has always denied any involvement even though the CIA officially attributed the murder to bin Salman.
A$AP Rocky, David Guetta, Tiësto and Jason Derulo are also set to appear at the event and according to Sky News, Human Rights Watch has called on all of them to cancel their appearances, warning that Saudi Arabia “has a history of using celebrities and major international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses”.
Meanwhile, Bieber recently added more dates to the UK leg of his upcoming ‘Justice’ world tour due to high demand.
He confirmed a third night at the O2 in London, and second nights at Manchester’s AO Arena and Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena. He will perform a total of 10 UK shows as part of the tour which kicks off next year, however he won’t be hitting British shores until February 2023.
The tour – his first international outing since the Purpose World Tour in 2016 and 2017 – was originally supposed to kick off this past summer, but the dates were pushed back to next year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
You can buy tickets here and you can see the full list of UK dates below:
FEBRUARY 2023
8 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
11 – Aberdeen, P&J Live
13 – London, The O2
14 – London, The O2
16 – London, The O2
22 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
23 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
25 – Manchester, AO Arena
26 – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
MARCH 2023
4 – Manchester, AO Arena
In a four-star review of Bieber’s new album ‘Justice’, NME‘s Will Lavin wrote: “’Justice’ is Bieber’s redemption song, and a more fitting follow-up to ‘Purpose’.
“Armed with a newfound optimism borne from a dark place, he understands he’s better when he’s tapping into his own experiences, projecting relatable human emotion and working out why he’s here. He’s singing about the things he cares about: his wife, his mental health, social injustice and so much more besides.”
