In October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a renowned journalist and well-known critic of the Saudi regime, was executed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The US intelligence community believes that Prince Mohammed directed the murder.
Saudi Prince Accused of Murder
The US State Department, however, claimed in court filings that he enjoys protection due to his new position as Saudi prime minister.
With the decision, Mr. Khashoggi’s ex-girlfriend, Hatice Cengiz, tweeted that “Jamal was murdered again today.”
She, together with the human rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), which was established by Mr. Khashoggi, was requesting unspecified compensation from the crown prince in the United States for the death of her fiancé.
Any details? Who is behind this move? And why? Many people would like to see justice done for Mr. Khashoggi. https://t.co/1r6W1LOiuq
— Jerry Deming (@pinkcupboard) November 18, 2022
Biden Makes No Bones About Khashoggi
The claim blamed the Saudi leader and his subordinates for kidnapping, binding, drugging, torturing, and murdering writer and democracy activist Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, stated that today is amnesty day. The result is impunity.
The official justification for the awarding of protection to a guy suspected by the CIA of complicity in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi is that the Saudi crown prince’s title changed officially in September when he was appointed prime minister. However, this shift is primarily academic.
In Saudi Arabia, the King, the crown prince, and the direct, blood royals hold the reins of power. MBS, as the heir to the throne is dubbed, has been omnipotent since shortly after his 2017 coronation.
It was always exceedingly improbable that the United States, as Saudi Arabia’s key ally and weapons supplier, would ever support MBS’s arrest. However, providing him protection in this manner may provide some respite to the Saudi royal court and has sparked a firestorm of outrage from human rights organizations and Mr. Khashoggi’s fiancee.
#Biden saved the murderer by granting immunity. He saved the criminal and got involved in the crime himself. Let's see who will save you in the hereafter? @POTUS https://t.co/TVFx4xSa3j
— Hatice Cengiz خديجة (@mercan_resifi) November 18, 2022
Letting Killers Walk Free, It’s the Biden Way
Washington’s aim to repair its terrible relationship with the Saudi government lies beneath all of this. It is no revelation that MBS and President Biden loathe each other, and the Saudis’ latest unwillingness to produce more oil to cut US fuel costs was interpreted in Washington as a slight. In addition, the Saudis’ relationships with both Russia and China are growing warmer.
Several members of the royal court will be privately hoping that Donald Trump, who selected Riyadh for his initial abroad trip as potus, will go back to the White House.
In 2017, Prince Mohammed was elevated to the position of crown prince by his dad, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The 37-year-old was appointed prime minister in September this year.
He rejects any involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
As the sitting leader of a hostile nation, according to Justice Department attorneys, the crown prince “enjoys protection from the authority of U.S. courts due to his position as head of state.”
Prince Enjoys Immunity
According to Justice Department attorneys, the idea of the head of a state indemnity is well-established in customary international law.
However, the Biden administration emphasized that the verdict was not an admission of guilt.
