Judge in the US dismisses action against Saudi prince after immunity given by Biden

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A US federal judge said on Tuesday that he had rejected a lawsuit filed against Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused by Washington of involvement in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Magistrate John Bates accepted the argument, endorsed by the US government based on a request by Riyadh, that MbS enjoys immunity as head of government – ​​he was recently appointed prime minister of the country, leaving the post of minister of defense. According to Bates, with Washington’s position he was left with no options but to close the lawsuit, which had been filed by Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s widow.

Legal immunity status was granted by US President Joe Biden last month. Earlier, in July, the American was criticized for meeting the prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia, with the right to exchange greetings, to discuss energy and security issues.

Biden’s trip to the country that is a major oil supplier was aimed at negotiating a reduction in the price of the product – when the tour was announced, the price was at a record high.

On Tuesday, even though he dismissed the lawsuit, Judge Bates expressed “discomfort with the circumstances of Salman’s appointment and credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s death”.

The journalist was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an operation that US intelligence believes was ordered by the prince – known by the acronym MbS.

Khashoggi was critical of the policies of the regime and the crown prince in his Washington Post columns. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain the necessary documents to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

According to the White House, the American president told the prince during their meeting in July that he held him responsible for Khashoggi’s death. MbS denies having ordered the murder, but has already acknowledged that the crime took place under his administration.

Statutory immunity status, in turn, is not based on the merits of the case and follows customary international law — when norms are defined based on custom and tradition, not necessarily with formal support, according to the US government.

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