Activists rename Saudi US embassy street 'Khashoggi Way'

Activists put up a "Khashoggi Way" sign outside the Saudi embassy in Washington on Tuesday in memory of the murdered Saudi journalist.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

05 December, 2018

Activists placed their own sign bearing the new street name [Twitter]

Activists in the US on Tuesday put up a street sign reading "Khashoggi Way" outside Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington, images shared on social media platforms showed.

The move came after a nieghbourhood advisory panel voted to rename the street in honour of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi but their vote was rejected by the local council.

Officially changing the name of the street that goes past the expansive embassy building in the upscale Foggy Bottom nieghbourhood was not possible due to a law that prohibits the renaming of public places after a deceased who has been dead for less than two years.

As a result, activists placed their own sign bearing the new street name and onlookers shared its images on social media platforms.

The idea to change the street name started over one month ago following an online petition, CNN reported.

"We suggest renaming the street address of the Saudi Embassy into Jamal Khashoggi Way to be a daily reminder to Saudi officials" that such killings are "totally unacceptable and as an expression of Washington's unstinting support for freedom of the press," the petition read.

Twitter Post

Khashoggi, a US resident, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

After initially denying the murder, Saudi Arabia has acknowledged Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate but blamed his death on a "rogue" operation.

Top officials from the administration of President Donald Trump have said they've seen no direct evidence linking the murder to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the CIA reportedly has found a connection.

Agencies contributed to this report.