Judge dismisses Khashoggi lawsuit against Saudi prince
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Washington dismissed a lawsuit filed by the fiance of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing President Biden's grant of immunity.
US District Judge John Bates suggested he was reluctant to throw out the lawsuit but had no choice given the Biden administration's decision.
"Despite the Court’s uneasiness, then, with both the circumstances of bin Salman’s appointment and the credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, the United States has informed the Court that he is immune," Bates wrote in the 25-page ruling.
Attorneys for the US Department of Justice said in a November court filing that the Biden Administration had determined that Prince Mohammed, "as the sitting head of a foreign government, enjoys head of state immunity from the jurisdiction of US courts as a result of that office."
Khashoggi's fiance, Hatice Cengiz, said of the decision at the time that: "Jamal died again today."
Khashoggi had criticized the crown prince's policies in Washington Post columns. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers he needed to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.
