Bill would symbolically rename the street in front of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia as ‘Jamal Khashoggi Way’
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/3/21) – Earlier today, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) National Executive Director Nihad Awad provided spoken and written testimony in support of the “Jamal Khashoggi Way Designation Act of 2021” before a District of Columbia City Council public hearing for the bill and other measures.
Click Here: Watch CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad’s Hearing Testimony
Click Here: Read Mr. Award Submitted Written Testimony
Click Here: Watch the full hearing
During his testimony to the D.C. City Council CAIR National Executive Director said in part:
“For the past 25 years, I personally knew Jamal Khashoggi and grew to call him a close friend. I watched him plant the seeds of what would become his legacy organization: Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a nonprofit organization that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights for all of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Today, I serve as a board member of DAWN.
“I personally know that Jamal Khashoggi loved working and living in Washington, D.C. That is why he chose D.C. as the city to establish DAWN’s headquarters. From D.C., he believed that he could safely and securely promote the values of freedom and free press in the Middle East.
“Like so many, I was personally shocked, saddened, and horrified by the brutal murder of Mr. Khashoggi by agents of the Government of Saudi Arabia in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018. This planned assassination of a D.C. resident was orchestrated by Saudi officials.
“No one should ever have to suffer such a vicious murder, especially at the hands of their own government.
“Yet, Mr. Khashoggi was murdered by agents of the government of Saudi Arabia for being an outspoken pro-democracy activist who believed in government transparency and accountability, as well as the fundamental human rights and freedom of all people, no matter which country they live in.
“Although three years have passed since his murder, we, Jamal Khashoggi’s friends, fellow rights activists, and neighbors have not forgotten him or the government of Saudi Arabia’s crime. While the U.S. government has acknowledged this horrendous crime, it has failed to take any appropriate action against Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia for this murder, and their continued patterns of abuse, harm, and restrictions on the political and religious freedom of its citizens.
“That is why we continue to demand justice for Jamal Khashoggi.
“By adopting the Jamal Khashoggi Way Designation Act of 2021, the city of D.C. will honor Mr. Khashoggi’s legacy as a resident of the city by symbolically renaming the street in front of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, as ‘Jamal Khashoggi Way.’
“By making this designation, the government of Saudi Arabia will finally be held accountable. By symbolically renaming this street the D.C. City Council will also be sending a powerful message to the world that Washington, D.C. honors the memory of Jamal Khashoggi forever.
“Those who value the freedom of the press and the rights of journalist to speak and write freely will owe the D.C. City Council a great debt of gratitude — should it adopt Bill 24-22 and memorialize our dear friend and neighbor Jamal Khashoggi.”
Joining Mr. Awad in support of the bill included representatives of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Code Pink, and Agnès Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur behind the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Jamal Khashoggi Way Designation Act, also known as Bill 24-22, would honor the memory and legacy of murdered D.C. city resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, by symbolically renaming the street in front of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, as “Jamal Khashoggi Way.”
There are several more procedural steps remaining before the bill is expected to pass later this year.
Khashoggi was murdered by agents of the Government of Saudi Arabia in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2, 2018. This planned assassination of a D.C. resident was orchestrated by Saudi officials.
The street sign would be posted on New Hampshire Avenue N.W., between Virginia Avenue N.W. and F Street, N.W., in Ward 2.
Khashoggi, who was a critic of the Saudi Arabia government’s human rights abuses and restrictions on political freedom under Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, wrote columns for The Washington Post. He was murdered and dismembered in October 2018 after being lured to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents.
According to a recent report by CNN: “The two private jets used by a Saudi Arabian assassination squad that killed and allegedly dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi were owned by a company that less than a year prior had been seized by the Kingdom’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.”
SEE: ‘Top Secret’ Saudi documents show Khashoggi assassins used company seized by Saudi crown prince
The Jamal Khashoggi Way Designation Act of 2021 was introduced in January by Councilmembers Brooke Pinto, Elissa Silverman, Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, Christina Henderson, Vincent Gray, Mary Cheh, and Chairman Mendelson.
Following the bill’s introduction, DAWN, CAIR, and Code Pink held a virtual press conference in support of the introduction of the Jamal Khashoggi Way Designation.
In October, DAWN, Code Pink, and CAIR held a commemorative protest on the eve of the third anniversary of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. October 2 marked the three-year anniversary of the Saudi Arabia government’s assassinated of Khashoggi.
WATCH: Video: Justice for Jamal Khashoggi Protest in Front of Saudi Embassy in D.C.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw at 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com