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A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the fiancé of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing immunity granted by President Joe Biden.
U.S. District Judge John Bates said he was reluctant to dismiss the lawsuit, but given the Biden administration’s decision, he had no choice.
“Despite the court’s unease, given the circumstances of bin Salman’s appointment and credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, the
The states have informed the court that he has immunity,” Bates wrote in the 25-page ruling.
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Citing the circumstances surrounding Prince Mohammed’s appointment as head of state, Bates was referring to the fact that Saudi King Salman only appointed Prince Mohammed as prime minister in September in a royal decree.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 in an operation U.S. intelligence believes was ordered by Prince Mohammed, known by his acronym MbS, who for years was the kingdom’s de facto leader. ruler.
The prince denied ordering Khashoggi’s killing, but later admitted it happened “under my supervision”.
Justice Department lawyers said in a November court filing that the Biden administration had determined that Prince Mohammed “as the current head of a foreign government enjoys immunity from the jurisdiction of the United States courts as head of state by virtue of that position.”
“Jamal died again today,” Khashoggi’s fiancé, Hatice Cengiz, said of the decision at the time.
Biden was criticized for fist-butting the crown prince during a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues. The White House said Biden had told Prince Mohammed he believed he was responsible for Khashoggi’s killing.
Khashoggi criticized the crown prince’s policies in a Washington Post column. He had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain the documents needed to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.
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