Lawyers for Mohammed bin Salman, who is facing prosecution in the United States for being accused of involvement in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, told a court on Monday that the appointment of the crown prince as Saudi’s prime minister Saudi Arabia, last week, grants him immunity in the action.
On the 27th, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, 86, named his son as prime minister, in a decree that country officials later said was in line with the responsibilities the prince had already been exercising.
MbS’s lawyers also asked the court to dismiss the case, citing other episodes in which the US recognized immunity for foreign heads of state. In July, as part of negotiations for a trip to Brazil, the prince formally asked the Itamaraty to guarantee absolute immunity in the country — even though he was only Minister of Defense at the time, not head of state.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of the regime and contributor to the American newspaper The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the country’s consulate in Istanbul, when he went to the office to obtain documents for his marriage to Turkish Hatice Cengiz.
American intelligence believes the assassination was commissioned by MbS, the kingdom’s de facto ruler for several years. The prince denied ordering Khashoggi’s death, but acknowledged that it took place under his watch.
The US court case in which the lawyers requested was filed jointly by Cengiz and a human rights group founded by Khashoggi. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages against the crown prince and has named more than 20 other Saudis as co-defendants — they are accused of carrying out a plot to permanently silence the journalist.
The court asked the US Department of Justice to say whether the prince has immunity. The initial deadline for a response would be this Monday (3), the date on which the defense manifested itself. With the appointment of MbS as prime minister, however, the federal agency asked last Friday (30) for a 45-day extension of the deadline.
With the choice of MbS as head of government, King Salman continues the gradual transfer of power. The crown prince, in effect, already ruled Saudi Arabia, although he still did not formally hold the post he won last week. At 37, he oversees the country’s oil, defense, economic policy and internal security.
Since coming to power in 2017, MbS has radically changed Saudi Arabia, spearheading efforts to diversify the economy from dependence on oil, allowing women to lead and restricting clerics’ power over society.
These reforms with one-off civil advances, however, came with a strong crackdown on dissent — activists, royalty, women’s rights advocates and businessmen were arrested. Furthermore, his reputation was tarnished with the murder of Khashoggi.
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