News – World: An American court in Washington has convicted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite the decision to grant him immunity in his capacity as prime minister.

Federal Judge John Bates described the crime as a horrific murder approved by Bin Salman himself, noting that the defendants confessed that the killing took place inside the Saudi consulate and that it was carried out by Saudi citizens.

Bates said that the civil lawsuit filed by Khashoggi's fiancee, Khadija Genghis, and his Association for Democracy Now for the Arab World included arguments he described as strong and trustworthy, recognizing that the timing of bin Salman's appointment as prime minister, in addition to the timing of the notification that the US administration handed over to the court, all made him uncomfortable. 

Despite the conviction, the US judge declared that the court could not solve this problem at the present time.

This ruling is considered the first reaction to the granting of immunity by the US administration during the era of Joe Biden, the Saudi crown prince, in order to avoid holding him accountable for the killing of Khashoggi.

For her part, the executive director of the Down rights organization, Sarah Leah Whitson, described the decision of the US court judge as sad news, noting that the organization is consulting with her lawyer about the next steps that they will take.

It is noteworthy that US President Joe Biden pledged in his election campaign to make the kingdom an outcast over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, but he reneged on his promises and granted bin Salman immunity late last month to prevent him from being punished for the killing of Khashoggi.