A lawsuit brought by the fiancée of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was dismissed by a U.S. federal judge in Washington. The dismissal was based on President Biden’s decision to grant immunity to the Crown Prince. Despite expressing discomfort with the circumstances of Prince Mohammed’s role and the allegations linking him to Khashoggi’s murder, Judge John Bates was compelled to dismiss the case due to the immunity granted by the U.S. government.
The lawsuit’s dismissal was influenced by the recent appointment of Prince Mohammed as prime minister by Saudi King Salman in a royal decree issued in September. Khashoggi was brutally killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. U.S. intelligence agencies believe that the operation was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been effectively leading the kingdom for some time. While denying direct involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, Prince Mohammed accepted responsibility for it occurring under his supervision.
The U.S. Department of Justice argued that Prince Mohammed, as the current head of a foreign government, is entitled to head of state immunity from U.S. court jurisdiction. Following the dismissal, Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, expressed her profound disappointment, stating that it felt like Jamal’s death had been relived.
President Biden faced criticism for publicly acknowledging Prince Mohammed’s responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder while also fist-bumping him during a meeting in Saudi Arabia focused on energy and security matters. Khashoggi, a vocal critic of the Crown Prince’s policies, had visited the consulate in Istanbul to complete paperwork for his marriage to Cengiz, a Turkish national.
