The Biden administration has ruled that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
should be granted immunity
in the lawsuit filed against him by Hatice Cengiz, girlfriend of Washington Post reporter Jamal
Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018
at the Riyadh consulate in Istanbul.
Cnn reports it.
US Justice Department attorneys said the administration had "determined that defendant
bin Salman, as the acting head of a foreign government, enjoys immunity
from the jurisdiction of US courts
as a result of this role." .
The crown prince was appointed prime minister by his father King Salman last September, an appointment described by kingdom officials as in line with the responsibilities already exercised by MbS.
"The royal decree leaves no doubt that the Crown Prince has the right to immunity on the basis of his status,"
bin Salman's lawyers
said in an October 3 petition in which they asked the Washington district court to close the case.
In a document filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Justice Department attorneys wrote that "the
doctrine of the immunity of heads of state is well established
in customary international law."
"This is a legal consideration made by the State Department based on long-standing and well-established principles of customary international law," a White House National Security Council spokesman said in a statement.
"
Jamal died again today," Hatice Cengiz wrote
on Twitter.
She and the Washington-based human rights organization founded by slain dissident journalist, Dawn, filed the lawsuit against bin Salman and 28 others in October 2020 in Federal District Court in Washington.