Who is John Bates? US judge DROPS lawsuit accusing Saudi Crown Prince MBS of Jamal Khashoggi's murder
WASHINGTON, DC: A US judge dropped a lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, December 6, after President Joe Biden's determination that he possessed "sovereign immunity." Judge John Bates, a district court judge in Washington, DC, stated the claims were "credible," and he felt "uneasiness" dismissing the case.
Daily Mail reported, the decision effectively ended any attempt to hold Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable in an American court. President Biden was accused of violating the memory of Khashoggi when the State Department declared the crown prince was exempt from prosecution.
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Khashoggi vanished without a trace following his entry inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. It is thought that Saudi officials killed him, mutilated his body and then disposed his remains in garbage bags. Despite the fact that MBS was just elected the prime minister six days before the Biden administration determined he had immunity, judge Bates claimed in his written judgment that the State Department's decision had left him powerless.
He wrote, "Despite the court's uneasiness, then, with both the circumstances of bin Salman’s appointment and the credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, the United States has informed the court that he is immune, and bin Salman is therefore entitled to head of state immunity . . . while he remains in office." He added, "Accordingly, the claims against bin Salman will be dismissed based on head-of-state immunity."
In an effort to seek retribution for Khashoggi's murder, his fiancee Hatice Cengiz and the Middle Eastern human rights advocacy group DAWN filed the lawsuit. US resident Khashoggi entered the consulate on October 2, 2018, to obtain the paperwork he needed to be married. He never left the room. Khashoggi allegedly screamed in agony as he was brought from the Saudi consul general's office to a table in the adjacent study, injected with an "unknown drug," and surgically dissected, according to an audio recording that was supposedly taken from Khashoggi's Apple Watch.
Khashoggi was met inside the consulate by a group of 15 Saudi agents who had traveled to Turkey. They included members of the intelligence community, security personnel, and staff from the crown prince's office. Authorities in Turkey claim that Khashoggi was murdered and then mutilated with a bone cutter. The killing, according to US intelligence officials, was carried out by MBS.
As per Reuters' report, when Biden visited Saudi Arabia in July to address oil and security matters, he received criticism for giving the crown prince a fist bump. According to the White House, Biden told Prince Mohammed Bin Salman that he held him accountable for the murder of Khashoggi. Earlier, in Washington Post pieces, Khashoggi had attacked the crown prince's policies.
Who is John Bates?
In December 2001, Judge Bates joined the position as a federal district judge. In 1968, he graduated from Wesleyan University and in 1976, he earned his JD at the University of Maryland School of Law. He served in the American Army from 1968 to 1971, including a stint in Vietnam. He was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2006.
He presided over the court from 2009 to 2013, when he finished his term of service there. He was subsequently appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to the position of Director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts, and he held that position until January 1, 2015, with the approval of the Judicial Conference. Bates has presided over the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules of the Judicial Conference since 2015.