A US judge dismissed Tuesday a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia’s Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman for his alleged role in the 2018 murder of dissidentjournalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Washington federal judge John Bates accepted a US government’s stance thatPrince Mohammed, who was designated prime minister of Saudi Arabia inSeptember, enjoys immunity in US courts as a foreign head of state.
Bates said the civil suit filed by Khashoggi’s widow Hatice Cengiz and hisactivist group DAWN made a “strong” and “meritorious” argument that PrinceMohammed was behind the murder.
But he ruled that he had no power to reject the US government’s officialstance, submitted in a formal statement to the court on November 17, thatthe prince had immunity as a foreign leader.
Even if the prince was named prime minister just weeks ago, the USgovernment’s executive branch “remains responsible for foreign affairs,including with Saudi Arabia, and a contrary decision on bin Salman’simmunity by this Court would unduly interfere with those responsibilities,”Bates said.
He said the “credible” allegations of the murder, the timing of prince’sbeing named prime minister, and timing of the US government’s submission,left him with “uneasiness.”
But Bates said he had no other choice in the case.
*– US intelligence blamed prince –*
Prince Mohammed has been the kingdom’s de facto ruler for several yearsunder his father King Salman.
One of the prince’s most vocal critics, Khashoggi was a journalist andactivist based in the United States when he traveled to Turkey with hisfiancee to obtain documents for their marriage from the Saudi consulate inIstanbul.
After he entered the consulate Khashoggi was seized and murdered by a teamof agents of the Saudi regime, his body dismembered and disposed of.
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Activists seeking to hold the crown prince accountable for the Khashoggimurder voiced dismay.
“Today is a dark day for victims of transnational repression,” said KhalidAljabri, a US-based doctor and son of a former Saudi intelligence official.
US President Joe Biden “has put dissidents at greater risk while confirmingto dictators that his human rights policy is nothing but hot air.”
A Saudi court in 2020 jailed eight people for between seven and 20 yearsover the killing.
Last year, Biden declassified an intelligence report that found PrinceMohammed had approved the operation against Khashoggi, an assertion Saudiauthorities deny.
The murder deeply strained ties between Washington and Riyadh.
But driven by the needs of Middle East politics, particularly the threatfrom Iran, and Saudi Arabia’s power over oil markets, Biden traveled to thecountry in July in a move seen as partially aiming to put the murder casebehind.
Nevertheless, while there Biden made mention of it in his talks with thecrown prince, calling the murder “outrageous.” -APP/AFP
