Biden information immediately: Jamal Khashoggi’s US lawyer sentenced to 3 years following detention in UAE

UAE state media has claimed that the detention and conviction of an American lawyer who represented murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi got here after US officers reached out for assist in investigating his actions.

WAM reported on Saturday that US authorities had requested the UAE for judicial help relating to their investigations of Asim Ghafoor for alleged tax evasion and making suspicious cash transfers to the UAE.

The US has not confirmed this model of occasions.

The Impartial has reached out to the US State Division to confirm this account.

Mr Ghafoor, a US citizen and Virginia-based civil rights legal professional, was convicted of two crimes of tax evasion and cash laundering associated to a tax evasion operation within the US, WAM reported.

The Abu Dhabi Cash Laundering Court docket has now sentenced him to 3 years in jail and a nice of three million dirhams ($US 816,748), with deportation from the UAE.

Mr Ghafoor was immediately detained at Dubai airport on Thursday in the midst of President Joe Biden’t controversial journey to the Center East.

“Making an attempt to make peace within the Center East is a activity American presidents normally go away till their second time period. That was the sample set, with various levels of success, by presidents Nixon, Clinton and Obama.

“Solely Jimmy Carter allowed hope to overcome expertise throughout his single time period in workplace, with the historic Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel.

“Though solely in his first time period, and on his first go to to the area, Joe Biden is expressly not there to observe within the footsteps of any of his peacemaking predecessors. He has been round for too lengthy, and seen too many disappointments, to danger the funding wanted to make progress. This journey has extra to do with Russia and Ukraine than Israel and Palestine.”

Learn the remainder of The Impartial’s editorial right here:

An American lawyer who represented murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been sentenced to 3 years in jail within the UAE after being immediately detained at an airport within the nation throughout President Joe Biden’t journey to the Center East.

UAE state media WAM reported on Saturday that US citizen Asim Ghafoor had been convicted of two crimes of tax evasion and cash laundering associated to a tax evasion operation in his nation.

The Abu Dhabi Cash Laundering Court docket sentenced him to 3 years in jail and a nice of three million dirhams ($US 816,748), with deportation from the UAE.

The civil rights legal professional primarily based in Virginia was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday whereas travelling to Istanbul for a household marriage ceremony, based on Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

The human rights group mentioned Mr Ghafoor is now being held in a detention facility in Abu Dhabi on costs associated to an in absentia conviction for cash laundering. Mr Ghafoor had no prior information of any conviction, DAWN mentioned in an announcement on Friday.

The US State Division mentioned on Saturday that it was conscious of Mr Ghafoor’s detention within the nation – at a time when the US president was assembly the UAE president to additional relations between the 2 nations.

“We’re conscious of the arrest of US citizen Asim Ghafoor within the UAE. We now have raised his detention at senior ranges with Emirati authorities and requested further info. We’re watching his case carefully and offering acceptable consular assist; consular officers from the US Embassy visited him immediately,” a State Division spokesperson mentioned.

“We now have conveyed our expectation that Mr. Ghafoor’s rights to a good and public listening to and to honest trial ensures be absolutely revered and that he be handled humanely, in addition to that U.S. rights to consular entry be absolutely revered.”

Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée has slammed President Joe Biden over his fist-bump with the Saudi crown prince.

Hatice Cengiz spoke out about how she believed the murdered journalist would reply to seeing the pleasant greeting between the 2 leaders.

“Is that this the accountability you promised for my homicide? The blood of MBS’s subsequent victims is in your fingers,” she mentioned.

Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 to get the paperwork he wanted to marry Ms Cengiz. He by no means made it out alive.

President Joe Biden posed for a “household picture” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, simply hours after the pair exchanged harsh phrases over the homicide of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The president stood shoulder to shoulder with the crown prince, generally known as MBS, together with different Center East leaders on Saturday, earlier than he boarded Air Power One and left the area.

Within the images, Mr Biden stood together with his fingers clasped in entrance of him with MBS to his proper. At one level, the 2 leaders appeared to trade phrases.

They have been joined for the picture name by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi; Jordan’s King Abdullah II; Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani; Kuwait’s Crown Prince Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah; Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhemi; United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Asaad bin Tariq al-Stated, a particular consultant for the Sultan of Oman.

The so-called “household picture” comes after Friday’s assembly between Mr Biden and MBS the place the US president mentioned he confronted the Saudi crown prince over his function in Khashoggi’s loss of life.

The Impartial’s Rachel Sharp has the complete story:

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fired again at Joe Biden with America’s personal controversies when the US president confronted him over the homicide of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it has been revealed.

A supply aware of Friday’s controversial assembly between the 2 leaders advised CNN that the crown prince, generally known as MBS, responded by mentioning the loss of life of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and incidents the place US troopers abused prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib detention centre.

The supply mentioned that MBS advised Mr Biden that the 2 incidents mirrored badly on the US.

The Impartial’s Rachel Sharp has the complete story:

An American lawyer who defended murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been detained within the UAE, sparking additional controversy round President Joe Biden’s journey to the Center East.

Asim Ghafoor, a US citizen and civil rights legal professional from Virginia, was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday whereas travelling to Istanbul for a household marriage ceremony, based on Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

The human rights group mentioned Mr Ghafoor is now being held in a detention facility in Abu Dhabi on costs associated to an in absentia conviction for cash laundering.

Mr Ghafoor had no prior information of any conviction, DAWN mentioned in an announcement on Friday.

The Impartial’s Rachel Sharp has the complete story:

The widow of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi thanked President Joe Biden for confronting MSB about ordering his loss of life.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi launched an announcement via Fahmy Hudome Worldwide in response to Friday’s assembly between Mr Biden and the Saudi crown prince.

“I wish to thank President Biden for elevating my husband, Jamal Khashoggi’s homicide with the Crown Prince. He raised it at the start and for that I’m grateful,” she mentioned.

“I additionally wish to thank President Biden for fulfilling Jamal’s true legacy, which is to focus on the difficulty of human rights and political prisoners. This assembly was the start of accountability for my husband’s homicide.

“By means of the American justice system, I together with my authorized workforce intend to carry all events accountable for the homicide of my husband.”

Consultant Ilhan Omar criticised President Joe Biden’s journey to Saudi Arabia, saying it sends the fallacious message about the USA’ place on human rights.

The Minnesota Democrat and member of the Squad, who’s a refugee from Somalia, mentioned Mr Biden’s journey goes again on his phrase that he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah nation” after the homicide of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“We’re going to make them pay the worth, and make them actually, the pariah that they’re,” he mentioned when he was operating for president.

The Impartial’s Eric Garcia has the complete story:

President Joe Biden has particularly come beneath hearth for his assembly with MBS – and the pleasant wanting fist-bump – given it marks a serious departure from his feedback throughout his 2020 marketing campaign path.

Throughout his race for the White Home, Mr Biden promised to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the world stage after US intelligence discovered that MBS ordered the execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Watch Mr Biden’s previous feedback about MBS beneath: