The US State Department announced that they did not see any indication that the detention of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s lawyer Asim Gafur at Dubai Airport was related to the Khashoggi case.
Speaking at the daily press conference, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ned Price made evaluations regarding the detention of Asim Gafur, a US citizen and lawyer of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed in the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul in 2018, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Price said that they brought the issue up before the top UAE authorities and they are waiting for an explanation regarding the detention in question. Explaining that US diplomats have met with Gafur several times since he was detained, Price said that US diplomats also watched today’s virtual hearing.
When asked about the accusations against Gafur, Price replied:
“I have to refer you to the Emirati authorities on this matter. However, we have not seen any indication that the detention of (Asim Gafur) is related to Jamal Khashoggi. We continue to gather information and visits. As I said, we have raised the issue at the high levels and ensured that Gafur is given a fair trial. We are doing our best for it.”
Facilitating special visa applications for Afghans who supported the USA in the war
Price announced that the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security made changes to facilitate the “Special Immigrant Visa” applications received by Afghans who had supported the US army during the invasion of Afghanistan to come to the US.
The spokesperson said that those who will apply for a special visa to the United States will no longer need to fill out Form I-360, a Petition for Special Immigrant Status, with the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) affiliated to the Department of Homeland Security, instead they will simply fill out the DS-157 form at the State Department. Stating that this change did not cause any relaxation in the scanning process for security, Price noted:
“As part of our ongoing efforts to make the program more efficient, this new streamlined process will help remove barriers to applicants and shorten application times.”