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Section Of West LA Named After Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Officials at the renaming ceremony on Monday, Oct. 2nd.
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Courtesy of Councilmember Traci Park's office
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Topline:
A section of Wilshire Boulevard adjacent to the Saudi consulate was renamed "Jamal Khashoggi Square” in honor of the slain Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist. Khashoggi was killed five years ago on Oct. 2 on the orders of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to a U.S. intelligence report.
Why it matters: Hannah Garry, executive director at UCLA’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, was present at yesterday’s renaming of the section of street from Centinela Avenue to McClellan Drive and called it a form of justice and reparation.
“To this date, there has been nearly complete impunity for the state sanctioned murder,” she said. “This commemoration of the square is an important step forward in attaining some form of justice and reminding us of all of the ongoing transnational repression against journalists and dissidents and those who speak out for democracy and human rights.”
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Background: The Los Angeles City Council approved the resolution to rename the section of street in April, but waited for Khashoggi’s fifth death anniversary to hold the renaming ceremony. Councilmember Traci Park spearheaded the effort.
Khashoggi was a prominent Saudi journalist who fled his home country in 2017 when bin Salman rose to power. But he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey in 2018.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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