US federal judge John D. Bates has dismissed the civil complaint against the Saudi crown prince Mohamed Bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The District of Columbia magistrate has alleged that the prince, recently appointed prime minister of his country, has diplomatic immunitydespite the fact that the CIA holds him responsible for the death of the Saudi journalist residing in the US, as confirmed by the government led by Democrat Joe Biden.
The judge has admitted that considers the accusations “credible” against Bin Salmán, but has recognized his immunity and has therefore dismissed the civil suit against him. The same was determined by the US government on November 18 regarding the lawsuit filed by Khashoggi’s fiancée.
The Biden government has determined that under international law the Saudi prince is immune to civil suit Presented by the human rights organization founded by the fiancée of the murdered journalist.
The Executive has justified that Bin Salmán is the “acting head of government” Saudi Arabia in a letter signed by acting State Department legal counsel Richard C. Visek sent to the court.
Under international law, the courts of a country cannot take action against the head of state of another nation “while in office,” and the crown prince’s father, King Salman, named him prime minister in September.
The magistrate’s legal text recalled that the Constitution grants the executive power exclusive authority to make decisions related to foreign policy. In the same document, the legal counsel highlights that the department “has no opinion on the merits of this lawsuit and reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi” in October 2018.
The CIA claims that it is proven that the Saudi crown prince “approved an operation in Istanbul to capture or kill” Khashoggi because he was perceived as a dissident whose activities undermined the monarchy.
Khashoggi had shown himself critical in columns for various media outlets with the crown prince, who cracked down on rivals and dissidents even before his father made him prime minister.
