{"id":774823,"date":"2025-02-17T09:52:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=774823"},"modified":"2025-02-19T16:36:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T16:36:18","slug":"khashoggis-widow-challenges-architects-to-raise-his-brutal-murder-with-saudis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/khashoggis-widow-challenges-architects-to-raise-his-brutal-murder-with-saudis","title":{"rendered":"Khashoggi\u2019s widow challenges architects to raise his brutal murder with Saudis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talking to the AJ from her apartment in Washington DC \u2013 where she has been granted asylum since December 2023 after leaving Dubai \u2013 Hanan said her husband\u2019s murder remains unsolved and pleaded with UK architects to raise the case with the country\u2019s ruler.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking directly to the profession, she said: \u2018I tell the architects from the UK: I\u2019m proud that you are helping Saudi Arabia to develop, and this is what Jamal wanted, but please speak to them [Saudi Arabia\u2019s ruling royal family] and remind them there is unfinished business here, which is Jamal.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Khashoggi, a Washington Post<\/em> journalist and legal resident of the United States, who was highly critical of Prince Mohammed, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. While US intelligence concluded that he was murdered on the orders of Prince Mohammed, Saudi officials claimed the journalist was killed in a \u2018rogue operation\u2019 by a team of agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As questions mounted in the immediate aftermath of Khashoggi\u2019s death in 2018, Norman Foster temporarily stepped back<\/a> from his role on the board overseeing the planning of the $500 billion NEOM project. Foster + Partners told the AJ that Foster had permanently stepped back the same year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, just over six years later, Foster + Partners\u2019 involvement in Saudi Arabia has deepened, with the practice now designing several major schemes, including a 2km-tall tower, as the AJ revealed<\/a> last year, a six-runway airport<\/a>, and Red Sea resorts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Foster + Partners design for a six-runway international airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n\t

Source:Foster + Partners <\/p><\/div>\n

The practice\u2019s burgeoning international workload<\/a>, especially in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East, is understood to be behind its recent London expansion<\/a> to office space at 50 Electric Boulevard next to Battersea Power Station.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanan said she \u2018appreciated\u2019 Foster\u2019s stance on NEOM in 2018, which showed \u2018he had the ability to tell the Crown Prince and the Saudi royal family that there is unfinished business here, and they need to finish it.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing the Foster + Partners founder directly, she said: \u2018<\/span>Mr Foster<\/span>, this case has not been closed. There is one victim still alive, which is me. She didn’t receive any compensation or any official apology, they destroyed her family life. This is me.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Mr Foster<\/span>, this case has not been closed. There is one victim still alive, which is me\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The former Emirates Airline employee also expressed concerns over human rights in general in Saudi and warned architects not to abandon democratic freedoms and concern for human life when working in the country. According to an ITV News investigation published last year, an estimated 21,000 foreign workers have died in the Kingdom since the reform programme Saudi 2030 Vision was launched in 2016.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanan explained: \u2018I hope UK architects carry and keep their democratic values and that they don\u2019t stop working in Saudi Arabia, because this is what Jamal wanted; he wanted better for his country, for his people.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n\t

Source:Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018But I want architects to remind the Crown Prince and the Saudi royal family that there is unfinished business here regarding Jamal because a horrible crime happened to an honest journalist.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

In December, Hanan raised her case with Keir Starmer ahead of his first visit to the kingdom as Prime Minister. This was reported in The Guardian<\/a>, but she did not get a direct response from the government, Hanan told the AJ.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The approach of Starmer, whose visit to the kingdom was in support of his \u2018number one mission\u2019 to grow the UK economy, comes on the back of attempts by the former Conservative deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden<\/a> (pictured below<\/em>) to strengthen UK-Saudi business ties.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I want architects to remind the Crown Prince and the Saudi royal family that there is unfinished business here regarding Jamal\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, in May last year, Dowden was also said to have raised the issue of Saudi forces being \u2018told to kill\u2019<\/a> to make way for the Line \u2013 the flagship linear city NEOM project, set to be designed by Gensler\u2019s London office. The claim, reported as part of an investigation by the BBC, <\/span>has been denied by NEOM.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dozens of UK architects are understood to be currently working on \u20182030 Vision\u2019 development projects overseen by Prince Mohammed or have previously taken part in design work.<\/span> UK firms also have permanent bases in the country, or are in the process of establishing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

These include Allies and Morrison, which announced last week that it had opened offices in Jeddah to support its workload in the kingdom, including masterplanning the AlUla Saudi 2030 Vision development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simon Gathercole, partner at Allies and Morrison, said the practice had been working in Saudi for 16 years and that the Jeddah offices \u2018will provide a base for our work in the region\u2019.<\/p>\n

He added: \u2018What makes it more interesting for us is that we will be right in the heart of this fascinating, culturally engaged community.\u2019<\/p>\n

Human rights group Amnesty International previously told the AJ<\/a> that it was \u2018vital that architecture firms considering operating in Saudi Arabia are doing proper due diligence to ensure they\u2019re not contributing to labour exploitation and other human rights abuses\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The organisation\u2019s head of labour rights and sport, Steve Cockburn, cautioned that the enormity of the Saudi 2030 Vision<\/a> projects meant architects would \u2018inevitably rely on a huge workforce of migrant workers who face significant risks of exploitation and even death\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The RIBA last year described ITV News\u2019 report of 21,000 worker deaths as \u2018serious and concerning\u2019 and referred to the institution\u2019s Code of Professional Conduct and Code of Practice regarding architects\u2019 impact on the environment and society.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 14 of the RIBA code<\/a> states that \u2018members shall have proper concern and due regard for the effect that their professional activities and completed projects may have on users, the local community and society\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Foster + Partners has confirmed to the AJ that Foster is not on NEOM\u2019s advisory board. The practice did not respond to the above comments when approached by the AJ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talking to the AJ from her apartment in Washington DC \u2013 where she has been granted asylum since December 2023 after leaving Dubai \u2013 Hanan said her husband\u2019s murder remains unsolved and pleaded with UK architects to raise the case with the country\u2019s ruler.\u00a0 Speaking directly to the profession, she said: \u2018I tell the architects …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131789,"featured_media":774873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[1181,5089,4976,4977,1441,1276,2121],"yoast_head":"\nKhashoggi\u2019s widow challenges architects to raise his brutal murder with Saudis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hanan Khashoggi, the widow of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has called on British architects working in Saudi Arabia \u2013 including Norman Foster \u2013 to raise her 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