© Reuters. US President Joe Biden approached reporters to answer questions about the crisis in Ukraine and the rocket crash in Poland as he returned to the White House from his tour of the G20 and ASEAN summits, on South Lawn of the White House in W
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By Dan Whitcomb and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration has determined that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has legal immunity from the case against him over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Justice Department US said in a court filing on Thursday.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an operation that US intelligence believes was led by Prince Mohammed, who ruled the kingdom for many years. five, ordered.
“Jamal died again today,” Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s former fiancée, wrote on Twitter minutes after the news went public. She added later: “We thought there might be some light of justice from #USA. But again, money comes first. This is a world that Jamal and I didn’t know about..!”
A spokesman for the Saudi consulate in Washington could not be reached for comment Thursday night after business hours.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a written statement: “This is a legal decision made by the State Department in accordance with long-standing and well-established principles of common law. international. case.”
The spokesperson referred further questions to the Department of Justice and State.
In a document filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, attorneys for the Department of Justice wrote that “the doctrine of head of state immunity is well established in common international law.”
Attorneys for the Justice Department said the executive branch of the US government, referring to the Biden Administration, had “determined that defendant bin Salman, as the incumbent head of a foreign government, has determined that defendant bin Salman, in his capacity to serve as the current head of a foreign government, has determined that defendant bin Salman is the current head of the United States government.” , enjoys the immunity of the head of state from the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States held by that office.”
Biden was criticized for holding the crown prince’s hand during a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues. The White House said Biden told Crown Prince Mohammed he held him responsible for Khashoggi’s murder.
The prince denied ordering Khashoggi’s murder but later admitted that it took place “under my supervision.”
Khashoggi criticized the crown prince’s policies in columns of the Washington Post. He went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get the necessary documents to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.
“It is ironic that President Biden single-handedly ensured MBS could shirk responsibility when President Biden himself promised the American people that he would do whatever it took to hold him accountable. The Trump administration doesn’t do this either,” spokeswoman Sarah Lee Whitson said. for democracy for the Arab world right now, said in a written statement.
