A US judge has dismissed a case against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for orchestrating the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying he was entitled to immunity despite “credible allegations” that he was involved in the murder.
US Judge John Bates, who has a long history of presiding over national security cases, acknowledged the “concern” in making the decision but said his hands were effectively tied by the administration’s latest recommendation. , Joe Biden that Prince Mohammed has immunity.
The decision to drop the charges, brought by Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz and the pro-democracy group founded by the slain Democracy for the Arab World Now journalist, Dawn, is likely to mark the end of efforts to hold the future Saudi king accountable for the 2018 assassination.
The lawsuit accused the Saudi leader and officials of “kidnapping, binding, drugging, torturing and murdering American journalist and democracy advocate Jamal Khashoggi.”
Khashoggi, a journalist and prominent critic of the regime in Saudi Arabia, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Prince Mohammed was named Crown Prince in 2017 by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the 37-year-old was then appointed Prime Minister in September this year.
Mohammed bin Salman denies any role in Khashoggi’s murder.