Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - In honor of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018 at the hands of the Saudi Arabian government, Councilwoman Traci Park Monday held a street dedication ceremony in his memory.
Park, alongside elected officials, friends and family of Khashoggi, unveiled signage dedicating Wilshire Boulevard from Centinela Avenue to McClellan Drive, which is adjacent to the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Los Angeles, located at 12400 Wilshire Blvd., as "Jamal Khashoggi Way."
In addition, two smaller commemorative signs were given to his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, and the human rights organization Khashoggi founded, Democracy for the Arab World Now.
"Today is an especially solemn day because it is also marks the fifth anniversary of Jamal's murder," Park said during the ceremony. "As we commemorate this grim anniversary and dedicate this square to him, we must remember that justice has not yet fully been served."
Park added, "It is all of our duty to continue seeking truth and accountability."
"He remains an inspiration to generations of journalists, activists and advocates for democracy to come," Park said.
The L.A. City Council approved the street dedication back in April, but the ceremony was held until Oct. 2, the anniversary of Khashoggi's death. Councilwoman Park initiated the process for the street dedication.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, United States resident, and dissident to the Saudi Arabian government, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey in 2018.
While the Saudi government has denied the royal family's involvement in Khashoggi's murder, U.S. intelligence has released information stating that the Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman directly approved the operation to lure Khashoggi to the consulate and murder him, according to Park's motion.
The Saudi government called Khashoggi's murder a "rogue" operation carried out by its operatives without knowledge from the government. Bin Salman denied any personal involvement as well, according to reports.
Khashoggi was a well-known Saudi journalist who fled his home country in 2017 after Bin Salman rose to power. Bin Salman began a domestic crackdown on women's rights and pro-democracy activists, intellectualists, and journalists who disagreed with Saudi government policies.
After fleeing his home country, Khashoggi became a columnist for the Washington Post and founded Democracy for the Arab Now, also known as DAWN.
In 2022, the Washington, D.C., City Council renamed the street where the Saudi embassy is located as "Jamal Khashoggi Way" in order to create a "memorial in (Khashoggi's) honor that cannot be covered up or repressed," the motion reads.
Park's street dedication in honor of Khashoggi was intended to do the same.