Human rights group launches two years after death of founder Jamal Khashoggi
The Washington Post columnist founded the Democracy for the Arab World Now, or DAWN, in the months before his 2018 murder.
A pro-democracy group honoring the legacy and continuing the work of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi launched on Tuesday, nearly two years after the Washington Post columnist was murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Democracy for the Arab World Now, or DAWN, is the human rights watchdog dreamed up by Khashoggi in the months before his death. At the virtual unveiling on Tuesday, organizers said the Washington-based nonprofit will continue his mission by spotlighting foreign governments that undermine human rights as well as those who assist and enable them.
“We are going to uphold Jamal’s legacy,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's executive director. His original vision was “based on the fundamental premise that democracy and human rights are the only solution for the Middle East that will give it stability, security and dignity for its people,” she said.
According to Whitson, the 10-person organization's funding comes from foundations and private individuals, including friends of the slain journalist.
