A lawsuit brought by the fiancée of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was dismissed by a U.S. federal judge in Washington on Tuesday. The dismissal was based on President Biden’s decision to grant immunity to the Crown Prince.
U.S. District Judge John Bates, in a 25-page ruling, expressed reluctance in dismissing the case but stated that the United States had confirmed Prince Mohammed’s immunity. The judge referenced the circumstances surrounding Prince Mohammed’s recent appointment as prime minister by Saudi King Salman in September.
Jamal Khashoggi was brutally killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, an act believed by U.S. intelligence to have been orchestrated by Prince Mohammed, also known as MbS. Although the Crown Prince denied ordering the killing, he admitted that it occurred during his tenure.
According to attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice, the Biden administration determined that Prince Mohammed, being the head of a foreign government, held immunity as a head of state from U.S. court jurisdiction.
Reacting to the decision, Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, lamented, “Jamal died again today.” The ruling followed criticism of President Biden for his interaction with Prince Mohammed during a visit to Saudi Arabia in July, where the President reportedly held the Crown Prince accountable for Khashoggi’s murder.
Khashoggi, known for his critical writings on the Crown Prince’s policies in The Washington Post, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to complete paperwork for his marriage to Cengiz, a Turkish national.