CNN said it would no longer take part in a much-anticipated Saudi investment conference, the latest media organization to withdraw from the event following the disappearance of dissident columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

The AT&T-owned cable-news outlet had been named as a media partner of the Future Investment Initiative, along with CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business Network, the Financial Times, Nikkei and Al Aribiya News Channel. The event is schedule to take place in Riyadh between October 23 and October 25. "CNN has withdrawn its participation in the Saudi Future Investment Initiative Conference," the network said in a statement. Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said Thursday he would no longer take part in the conference.

The conference is hosted by the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Dubbed "Davos in the Desert," the conference was first held last year, and has been seen as an opportunity for the mideast nation to spotlight the modernization efforts of Crown Prince Mohammed.