Arrr! The lass, widow of the brave Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, be granted refuge in the mighty US.
2023-12-22
Avast ye hearties! 'Tis a tale of woe and justice! The fair Hanan Elatr, widow of me dear matey, the brave Jamal Khashoggi, be seekin' safe haven in the land of the stars and stripes. Saudi scallywags took the life of me mate in the year 2018. May the winds of freedom guide her way!
The widow of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi officials, has been granted political asylum in the U.S. Hanan Elatr sought safety in the U.S. after her husband's death, fearing for her own life. She applied for asylum in August 2020 and was granted indefinite asylum status on November 28. Elatr argued that returning to her home country of Egypt or the United Arab Emirates would put her life in danger. Elatr expressed gratitude to President Biden and his administration for granting her asylum and said she is relieved from feeling scared.Elatr's asylum application detailed mistreatment and confiscation of passports by Egyptian authorities due to her relationship with Khashoggi. She also claimed that the UAE detained and interrogated her and placed spyware on her confiscated phones. Elatr's attorney stated that the decision to grant her asylum shows that she is a victim who is still alive.
Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Turkish officials allege that he was killed and dismembered inside the consulate. In 2021, the Biden administration declassified a report blaming Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. Prior to his death, Khashoggi had written critically of Mohammed bin Salman and founded an organization advocating for democratic and human rights reform in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.
Khashoggi's murder and the subsequent investigation have garnered international attention and condemnation. Elatr's granting of political asylum in the U.S. provides some measure of justice for her and recognition of the dangers she faces if she were to return to her home country. The U.S. government's decision to grant her asylum also sends a message of condemnation towards Saudi Arabia and its handling of Khashoggi's murder.