Hanan Elatr, the widow of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that she wants President Joe Biden to meet with her before he travels to Saudi Arabia.
Elatr said that if she met with Biden, she would urge him to push for the release of political prisoners in the country. She told the Examiner that she doesn't want her husband's murder to hinder progress between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, noting her husband's love for his native country.
"Saudi and U.S. relations shouldn't break because of this tragedy," she said.
Elatr added that Biden can "bring about the true wishes of Jamal and his legacy, which is to apply diplomatic pressure to release all prisoners from jail, especially Essam al Zamil, and Sheikh Salman al Awda."
She also said, "If my husband were here today, he would do what I'm doing now."
Elatr noted that talking about al Zamil, an economist and blogger who has been kept in detention since 2017, would make her husband cry.
Her attorney, Randa Fahmy, said that this is a chance for Biden to prove his commitment to helping Saudis who have been imprisoned or killed because of their political views.
"The president should meet with Hanan as a sign that he's not given up on the legacy of Jamal," Fahmy said.
Elatr told the Examiner that she's "not convinced that justice will happen to my husband fairly."
Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A U.S. intelligence report later concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered his assassination.
Elatr and Fahmy told the Examiner that they had not received a response to their letter requesting a meeting, which was sent to White House chief of staff Ron Klain last week. The Examiner did not receive responses from the White House to requests for comment about the letter.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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