US library honors journalist Khashoggi with Freedom Writer title

A library in the U.S. has granted dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October with the Freedom Writer award.

Mercantile Library Manager John Faherty announced on Tuesday that they will honor Khashoggi with 2019 Harriet Beecher Stowe Freedom Writer Award.

"It is a sad honor, but an honor certainly, to celebrate the life and work of Khashoggi. In a time when journalism is under siege in some quarters, we can think of no better way to celebrate the importance of truth and clarity," Faherty said. The award ceremony will be organized on June 25 and Karen Attiah, the Global Opinions editor at The Washington Post, will accept the award on Khashoggi's behalf.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a world-renowned American writer, staunch abolitionist and one of the most influential women of the 19th century. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Freedom Writer Award is given to writers whose work best exemplifies "writing to change the world."

Khashoggi was brutally murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. Riyadh initially denied any role in the killing but has since sought to blame his death on a botched rendition operation carried out by rogue agents, an explanation far from convincing for many. With 21 individuals being detained by Riyadh, the Kingdom has not been disclosing vital information on the investigation since then. Although seven months have passed since the disappearance of the journalist, the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body still remains unknown and the level of international scrutiny on the issue, which many called nearly unprecedented, is fading more and more.