The wife of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, has been granted political asylum in the United States.
Khashoggi died in October 2018, and US intelligence has said it believes Saudi Arabia was behind the assassination.
Hanan Elatr, Khashoggi's wife, feared for her safety and in August 2020 arrived in the US to apply for asylum.
The BBC has seen the documents which show she was granted indefinite asylum on 28 November.
"We won," Ms Ellatr told the BBC, emotion catching in her throat. "Yes, they took Jamal's life and destroyed my life, but we won."
More than three years have passed since Ms. Elatr first applied for political asylum in the United States. She claims her life would be in danger if she returned to her native Egypt or the United Arab Emirates, her home for more than 25 years.
The former Emirates flight attendant arrived in the U.S. and for many months lived in fear for her safety in Maryland, abandoning her job and her life, her attorney, Randa Fahmy, said in an interview.
She eventually managed to get a work permit in October 2021 to start her new life in the US. Now Mrs. Elatre has a job and an apartment, although she is struggling to make ends meet.
Despite the time it took, Ms Elatre thanked President Joe Biden and his administration for "opening the door for me". She said she was "relieved of the feeling of fear".
Ms Ellatr finally had an interview with US immigration officials in March in a process her lawyer described as "quite traumatic" because of the level of detail and repetition it required.
They expected to hear back within 60 to 90 days, but lawyer Fahmi believes the application process has been held up by ongoing negotiations between the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The two women reached out to various members of Congress for help, but called Congressman Don Beyer and Senator Tim Kaine their "heroes on Capitol Hill."
Both lawmakers told the BBC they were happy to help Ms Ellatr and were relieved to hear the news she had been granted asylum.
"After all she and her family have been through, it's good to see them given this recognition and the security that will come with it," Beyer said in a statement. "I will continue to support Ms. Khashoggi as she seeks accountability for her husband's murder - a terrible injustice that I will not forget"./BGNES
