The widow of Jamal Khashoggi, Hanan Elatr, has been granted political asylum in the United States, nearly four years after her husband was brutally murdered by Saudi operatives in Istanbul. The news was reported by The Washington Post, the same publication that Khashoggi had worked for. Elatr, who had expressed fears for her safety, had applied for asylum in August 2020, following the death of her husband two years earlier. She was granted indefinite asylum status on November 28, 2020.

Khashoggi, an internationally known and respected journalist, was killed by Saudi officials after publicly criticizing the crown prince's harsh methods of silencing his rivals and critics. His assassination caused a major rift in US-Saudi relations when US intelligence later determined that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered Khashoggi's death. The intelligence report revealed that the Crown Prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the Kingdom and had supported using violent measures to silence him.

The details of Khashoggi's murder were gruesome. A team of 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to meet Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain a document to confirm that he was not married in Saudi Arabia, as he was planning to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish woman. However, Khashoggi never left the consulate alive. Turkish officials alleged that he was killed and dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate.

Elatr, who had married Khashoggi in Virginia just four months before his murder, had been living in Dubai and working as a flight attendant. However, she lost her job in July 2020, which meant she could no longer live in Dubai. Concerned for her safety, she moved to Washington and went into hiding in her lawyer's apartment for 18 months.

In her asylum application, Elatr detailed the mistreatment her family had faced in Egypt, their home country, and the confiscation of their passports due to her relationship with Khashoggi. She also revealed that in 2018, the United Arab Emirates had detained and interrogated her and installed spyware on her confiscated phones. Elatr expressed her relief and gratitude upon receiving the news of her asylum, stating that it showed that there was still one victim who was alive.

The granting of political asylum to Elatr comes after the Biden administration declassified a report blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. Despite the declassification, the administration declared that the Crown Prince should be granted immunity in lawsuits for his alleged role in the murder.

Representative Don Beyer, who has been supporting Elatr throughout the process, expressed his satisfaction with the decision and vowed to continue supporting her in seeking accountability for her husband's murder. He emphasized the importance of granting Elatr recognition and security after all that she and her family had been through.

The granting of asylum to Elatr marks a significant development in the aftermath of Khashoggi's murder and provides her with a measure of protection and security. As the widow of a prominent journalist and critic of the Saudi regime, she will continue to seek justice and accountability for her husband's brutal killing.