Why Saudi leader get US immunity over Khashoggi killing

US don determine say Saudi Arabia de facto leader - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman get immunity from one lawsuit wey murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi fiancé file.

Oga Khashoggi, be one ogbonge Saudi critic, dem murder am for di Saudi consulate for Istanbul for October 2018.

US intelligence say dem believe say Prince Mohammed na im bin order di killing.

But for court filings, di US State department say im get immunity sake of im new role as Saudi prime minister.

Oga Khashoggi ex-fiancé, Hatice Cengiz, bin write for Twitter say"Jamal die again today" wit di ruling.

She wit di human rights group Democracy for di Arab World Now (Dawn), wey Oga Khashoggi bin found bin don dey request for one unspecified damages for di US from di crown prince sake of her fiancé murder.

Dem bin accuse di Saudi leader and im officials say dem "kidnapped, bound, drug and torture, and assassinate US-resident journalist and democracy advocate Jamal Khashoggi".

Di secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, tok: "Today e be immunity. E all add up to impunity."

US get desire to improve relations wit Saudi leaders

Di official explanation for di immunity wey dem grant to one man wey di CIA suspects say get hand for oga Khashoggi murder be say di Saudi crown prince status formally change for September when dem name am prime minister. But dis change dey largely academic.

For Saudi Arabia power rest wit di King, di crown prince and di immediate, blood-related royals. MBS, as di crown prince dey known, bin dey all-powerful since soon afta e become crown prince for 2017.

E no too always highly common say di US, as Saudi Arabia strategic partner and arms supplier, go ever try arrange arrest of MBS. But to grant am immunity dis way go cause some kind relief for di Saudi royal court and don provoke one storm of protest from human rights groups as well as Oga Khashoggi fiancée.

Under all dis be Washington desire to improve dia poor relations wit di Saudi leadership. E no be secret say MBS and President Biden no like each oda and di Saudis recent refusal to pump more oil to lower US fuel prices dey taken as snub for Washington.

Make we add to dat, di Saudis don increasingly warm relationship wit both Russia and China.

Plenti pipo go dey di royal court wey go quietly dey hope for di return of Donald Trump to di White House, wey choose Riyadh for im first overseas visit as President.

Prince Mohammed become Prime Minster for September

Prince Mohammed dey named crown prince by im papa, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for 2017. Dem hand di 37-year-old di role of prime minister for September dis year.

E deny say e get hand for di killing of Oga Khashoggi. 

Justice Department lawyers tok say as "di sitting head of one foreign goment," di crown prince "enjoy head of state immunity from di jurisdiction of US courts sake of dat office."

"Di doctrine of head of state immunity dey well established for customary international law," Justice Department lawyers tok.

But Biden administration dey keen to emphasise say di ruling no be determination of innocence.

"Dis be legal determination wey di State Department under longstanding and well-established principles of customary international law make," one tok tok pesin for di for di White House National Security Council tok for one written statement.

"E get nothing to do wit di merits of di case."

Saudi Arabia say di former Washington Post journalist don dey killed for "rogue operation" by one team of agents wey dem send to persuade am to return to di kingdom.

However, US officials say di CIA don conclude, "wit one medium to high degree of certainty", say di MBS get hand.

Di murder bin cause one global noise and damage di image of Prince Mohammed and im kontri.

E bin also lead to one major downturn for US-Saudi relations, wit Oga Biden wey vow to make Saudi Arabia one "outcast" while e dey campaign for di presidency for 2019.

Oga Biden no gree tok to Mohammed bin Salman when e bin first become president.

But over di summer, President Biden bin say e want to "reorient" relations, ahead of one visit to Saudi Arabia for July.

Im visit - where im dey pictured fist-bumping di crown prince - dey criticised as validating di Saudi goment following Oga Khashoggi murder.

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Dawn, bin write on Twitter say e dey "beyond ironic say President Biden don single-handedly assure MBS fit escape accountability when e be say na President Biden wey promise di American pipo say e go do everything to hold am accountable".

Thursday decision bin give di Saudi leader "license to kill", according to di son of exiled former Saudi security official Saad al-Jabri, wey don accuse Prince Mohammed say e dey target im family andsay e bin send one hit squad to Canada to kill am.

"Afta e break im pledge to punish MBS for Khashoggi assassination, di Biden administration not only don shield MBS from accountability for US courts, but make am more dangerous dan ever wit one license to kill more detractors without consequence," Khalid al-Jabri tok for quotes wey AFP cite.

Amnesty Agnes Callamard bin write for Twitter: "Dis be deep betrayal. Anoda one. First dey disregarded by Pres. Trump. Den Pres. Biden fist bump... At all points, dem get oda choices."

And Nihad Awad, national executive director of di Council on American-Islamic Relations, say di Biden administration "sell Jamal Kashoggi blood for Saudi oil".

Who be Jamal Khashoggi?

As correct Saudi journalist, im cover major stories, plus di Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and rise of late al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, for various Saudi news organisations.

For decades, di 59-year-old bin dey close to di Saudi royal family and also serve as adviser to goment.

But e be like say dem pour sand-sand for im garri and im come go self-imposed exile for di US for 2017. From dia, im bin dey write monthly column for di Washington Post wia e dey drag di policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, di son of King Salman and Saudi Arabia de facto ruler.

For im first column for di Post for September 2017, Khashoggi im bin dey fear say dem go arrest am based on wetin don do.