Without considering the merits of the case, Judge John Bates emphasized that he is practically bound to accept the position recently put forward by the US government, according to which the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia has immunity from legal proceedings in the US, since he is the head of government.
A U.S. judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit filed in the U.S. against Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accusing him of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Without considering the merits of the case, Judge John Bates emphasized that he is practically bound to accept the position recently put forward by the US government, according to which the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia has immunity from legal proceedings in the US, since he is the head of government.
However, Judge Bates expressed his “dismay” that Mohammed bin Salman was named prime minister and the circumstances under which this happened, ruling that there were “credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder”.
Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi royal court insider turned regime critic, was murdered and dismembered in 2018 at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. His assassination sparked international outrage and, for a time, turned Mohammed bin Salman into a pariah in the West.
Saudi authorities deny any involvement in the case. But US intelligence agencies concluded that Mohammed bin Salman was the moral mastermind of the assassination.
The journalist’s widow, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, and the US-based Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) organization had testified lawsuit and lawsuit in 2020 against the crown prince and other top Saudi officials.
“While we are disappointed by this decision, we will consider all possible options to continue our legal actions against the criminal behavior” of Mohammed bin Salman, DAWN director Sarah Leah Whitson said yesterday.
In late September, the longtime de facto leader of the Saudi monarchy was named prime minister by royal decree. Many saw the move as an attempt to cancel criminal charges against him abroad.
Considering the appointment, the administration of US Democratic President Joe Biden adopted in mid-November the position that Mohammed bin Salman does have judicial immunity.
Her decision sparked intense criticism. The Washington Post newspaper, with which Jamal Khashoggi worked in the last period before he was murdered, accused the US president of “turning his back on the fundamental principles of freedom of the press and equality.”
The White House countered that the specific legal opinion “has nothing to do with the bilateral relationship” between Washington and Riyadh.
President Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in July. His greeting with the crown prince—they joined their fists—was also much commented on. Mr. Biden emphasized, however, that he touched on the Khashoggi case in the talks they had.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
