2:06 p.m. EST
MR PATEL: Good afternoon, everybody. I have a couple of quick things off the top and then I’m happy to dive right into your questions.
So, first, last night the U.S. and Japan participated in a ceremony to note Japan’s contributions to the Lunar Gateway and ongoing support for the International Space Station. Our embassy in Tokyo and NASA put out statements that I’d encourage you to look at for additional information, and we are incredibly proud to work with our ally, Japan, to further peaceful exploration and the use of outer space.
Additionally, today the Conflict Observatory program released its latest independent report. It details numerous instances indicating unjust detentions, disappearances in Kherson, Ukraine, at the hands of Russia’s forces during its brutal war. The report presents publicly available information about the experiences of more than 220 individuals who are victims, survivors, or witnesses to torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, including gender-based violence.
There is only one country waging this unprovoked, premeditated war of choice with willful disregard for human life, and that is Russia. Today, we reiterate our call, again, for Russia to halt its filtration operations, its violations and abuses of human rights, its violations of international humanitarian law, and its violation of the UN Charter. We urgently call on Russia to withdraw its forces to end a needless war that it cannot and will not win, no matter how despicable and desperate its tactics. We remain unwavering in our support of the government and people of Ukraine as they defend their country and their freedom.
And lastly, while Iranians continue to peacefully protest in Iran, led by Iran’s women, girls, and students, I’d like to take a moment to commemorate the protests that took place in Iran three years ago. In November 2019, as now, security forces then used lethal force against protestors, and killed hundreds and detained thousands, all under the cover of weeks-long internet shutdowns.
Even today, family members of November 2019 protestors are being arrested, detained, and intimidated for publicly demanding justice for their deceased relatives. The United States remembers the “Bloody November” and we mourn the loss of Iran’s innocent peaceful protestors.
Iran continues to disregard its people’s human rights and continues to fire on and kill peaceful protestors today, including many women and children. Iranian authorities aim to stop dissent and stop the world from watching its brutal crackdown and to prevent the world from taking note of its state-sponsored violence against women.
But the world is watching, and Iran’s human rights abuses must not be without consequence. We continue to pursue unilateral action, multilateral measures, and UN mechanisms to hold Iranian authorities accountable for this flagrant denial of the Iranian people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.
And with Matt – Matt, if you want to kick us off.
QUESTION: Yes. Recognizing that the Attorney General is about to speak in about five minutes and talk about DOJ issues, I want to ask you about a different DOJ issue, the one that arose last night. And I’m just wondering if you can explain to us in layman’s terms why, exactly, the Saudi MBS case is different in terms of sovereign immunity than cases that had been brought – civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions – against other foreign leaders and other foreign governments.
MR PATEL: Sure, Matt. So what this stems from is that Prime Minister – Prime Minister bin Salman is immune from suit in U.S. courts while he holds the office of prime minister. He is the head of government. It has nothing to do with the merits of this case. The immunity determination is a legal one. The United States has consistently and across administrations applied these principles to heads of states, heads of…