The Biden administration has asked a US court to grant Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman immunity in the civil case against him for involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. That reports CNN Thursday.
Bin Salman was recently appointed prime minister of Saudi Arabia, a position normally held by the king himself. As a result, he is eligible for immunity as a foreign head of government. The case against the crown prince was brought by Khashoggi’s fiancé, Hatice Cengiz.
The crown prince has been linked by Western countries to the murder of Saudi journalist Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. For example, the CIA concluded that the murder of the journalist was probably on Bin Salman’s orders. The crown prince himself denies having anything to do with the murder.
It is striking that US President Joe Biden has filed the request for immunity. During his election campaign, he said of the case that the “crown prince ordered the murder”. He also promised to treat Saudi leaders as “the pariahs that they are” because of their role in the assassination of the journalist.
This summer, Biden visited Saudi Arabia to strengthen relations with the country. He also met the crown prince there and gave him a boxing.
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