Washington renames the street in honor of the slain journalist
(ANSA) – WASHINGTON, JUN 15 – The street in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington was renamed today in honor of Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident Saudi journalist killed in 2018 in his country’s consulate in Istanbul. The city hall of the US capital unveiled the ‘Jamal Khashoggi Way’ sign the day after the announcement of the US president’s controversial trip to Riyadh in mid-July, during which he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused by intelligence American for having ordered the assassination of the Washington Post columnist.
The new road will serve as a “constant reminder, so that the memory of Jamal Khashoggi can never be extinguished,” said City Council President Phil Mendelson, who voted unanimously in favor of the new name. Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni activist winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, said during the ceremony that the next visit to Riyadh means “that Biden has abandoned his commitment to defend human rights in the world“. Sarah Leah Whitson, of the human rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now, founded by Jamal Khashoggi, denounced a “shameless capitulation” by the democratic leader.
“We want to remind the people hiding behind these doors that every day, every hour, every minute, from now on this will be Jamal Khashoggi Street,” she added, pointing to the embassy in front of her. “We will hold them responsible for the murder of our friend who dared to challenge the tyranny of Mohammed bin Salman.” (HANDLE).