WATCH LIVE: White House holds briefing as Biden shields Saudi crown prince in journalist killing
PBS NewsHourJUL 2022
When MBS was appointed PM by royal decree, it was obvious that the main purpose was to protect him from prosecution for Khashoggi's murder. By now seeking to grant the crown prince immunity, the US is compromising its values and turning its back on its promise of accountability — proving that it isn't concerned with human rights and justice but only with its own interests.
Of course, the US would like to see justice served in Khashoggi's case. The decision to grant immunity to MBS as the new Saudi Arabian PM is strictly a legal matter, not a political statement. The fact that Washington even-handedly applies the head-of-state immunity doctrine to the crown prince distinguishes the US as a democracy based on the rule of law.