Justice Avenue: Honoring Jamal Khashoggi’s Legacy
Dubbing the thoroughfare adjacent to the Saudi Embassy in honor of Khashoggi resonates deeply. But symbolic gestures must be met with concrete action.
When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unleashed his enforcers on Jamal Khashoggi, he aimed not just to erase a single life, but to erase the ideals Khashoggi represented. Therefore, there could hardly be a more poignant tribute to this courageous individual — and a stinging indictment of the autocratic regime that silenced him — than to christen the street in front of the Saudi Embassy in D.C. with his name, serving as a perpetual reminder of his advocacy for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) has put forth plans to enact legislation designating the stretch of road in front of the Saudi Embassy, spanning from New Hampshire Avenue between Virginia Avenue and F Street in Northwest, as Jamal Khashoggi Way. Khashoggi, aged 59, a journalist who resided in Virginia after a self-imposed exile from Saudi Arabia and whose columns graced the pages of The Washington Post, met his demise on October 2, 2018, after being enticed to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul under pretenses of securing documentation for his forthcoming marriage. Following his strangulation, his body was dismembered and disposed of, yet never recovered; the Saudi regime has shown no decency in producing his remains. Instead, bolstered by the support of President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the crown prince and his cronies have perpetuated falsehoods about the premeditated murder and evaded all accountability.
Ms. Pinto cited the recent Capitol insurrection, which included assaults on journalists, as a driving force behind her proposed legislation. She remarked, “Jamal Khashoggi understood that shedding light on Saudi Arabia and pursuing truth came with the peril of losing his freedom and ultimately his life. Journalists, both worldwide and here in America, confront similar hazards daily, and we must not allow those who seek to intimidate them to triumph, for an assault on journalism is an assault on our freedom and democracy.”
With the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, the United States has an opportunity to honor Khashoggi’s legacy through substantive action. President Biden and his incoming administration have been unequivocal in their condemnation of the crown prince’s reckless disregard for morality. They can realign U.S. policy to unequivocally convey that no normal, healthy relationship can exist with Saudi Arabia until those accountable for Khashoggi’s murder are held to justice; until the activists advocating for women’s rights and others detained and tortured for peaceful dissent are released; until the families of Saudi dissidents abroad are no longer held hostage; and until the egregious war crimes in Yemen are halted.
Such a policy, in alignment with American and global principles of upholding the sanctity of human life and human rights, may expedite the arrival of a day when Saudis can take pride in their government. And when that day arrives, Saudi diplomats will proudly proclaim that they commute daily along Jamal Khashoggi Way.