The US government wants to protect the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from prosecution in a surprise reversal in the case surrounding the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Because of his official status and high office, Muhammad should enjoy immunity from lawsuits brought by Khashoggi's fiancé and human rights groups founded by the columnist, President Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday.
The US request is not binding, ultimately a judge must decide whether the Saudi de facto ruler is granted protection from criminal prosecution.
With the declaration, the government is taking an amazing turn, especially since Biden, as a presidential candidate, had announced that he would treat the kingdom as a “pariah state” because of the assassination of Khashoggi. In addition to the brutal killing of the Saudi columnist, for which US intelligence services blamed Crown Prince Mohammed directly, there are other human rights allegations against the leadership in Riyadh.