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Jamal Khashoggi's wife wins US political asylum: ‘They took his life but…’
Jamal Khashoggi's wife applied for political asylum more than three years ago as she said that he life would be in danger.
The wife of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, has been granted political asylum in the US. Jamal Khashoggi died in October 2018 after which Hanan Elatr feared for her safety and came to the US in August 2020 to apply for asylum. She has been granted indefinite asylum status in the US.
Hanan Elatr said, "We did win. Yes, they took Jamal's life and they destroyed my life, but we did win."
Hanan Elatr's asylum journey
She applied for political asylum more than three years ago as she said that he life would be in danger if she returned to Egypt, where she is from, or United Arab Emirates- where she has lived for more than 25 years, BBC reported. Hanan Elatr has been a former Emirates flight attendant and had come to the US after Jamal Khashoggi's death. She lived in Maryland for many months and left her job as well, her attorney Randa Fahmy said in an interview.
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She was then able to get a work permit in October 2021 to begin her new life in the US. In March this year, she interviewed with US immigration services in a process that her attorney described as "pretty traumatic" as it required talking about her husband's death in great detail.
Hanan Elatr thanks Joe Biden
Hanan Elatr expressed gratitude to Joe Biden and his administration for “opening the door for me” and said she is "relieved from feeling scared". She also thanked US Congressman Don Beyer and Senator Tim Kaine calling them "champions on Capitol Hill".
Don Beyer said it was “the clearest case for political asylum imaginable”, adding as per BBC. “After all that she and her family have been through, it is good to see them granted this recognition and the measure of security that will come with it. I will continue to support Mrs Khashoggi as she seeks accountability for her husband's murder, a terrible injustice which I will not forget.”
