Saudi-US lobbyists deflect Khashoggi cold-blooded murder with Mickey Mouse

Saudi Arabia will be hosting US media giants Disney and Marvel, as well as Canadian theatrical entertainer Cirque du Soleil in the coming few months, the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC) announced on Monday.

The announcement came in the wake of a global scandal surrounding the violent killing of Saudi dissent journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.

"@Disney, @Marvel, and @Cirque will bring their world-famous characters and performances to #Saudi audiences soon," SAPRAC tweeted.

SAPRAC's tweet on Monday left many wondering why the global entertainment giants are willing to cooperate with the Saudi regime while questions over Khashoggi's murder remain unanswered and in the wake of many global business titans boycotting the kingdom.

Disney, whose mascot is the Mickey Mouse character, has been linked with the Saudi crown prince. In April, Mohammed bin Salman met with Disney's Bob Iger at a dinner party in Los Angeles.  

Riyadh currently reels as a slew of corporate chiefs and politicians have pulled out of an important investment conference over the murder of Khashoggi.

Starting on Tuesday, the three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII) was meant to project the historically insular petro-state as a lucrative business destination as it seeks to diversify and set the stage for new ventures and multi-billion-dollar contracts.