Jordanian court jails two to 15 years over ‘sedition plot’

dpa Amman A Jordanian court on Monday has convicted two senior figures accused of taking part in an alleged sedition plot involving the king’s half-brothe...

dpa AmmanA Jordanian court on Monday has convicted two senior figures accused of taking part in an alleged sedition plot involving the king’s half-brother and former crown prince, Hamzah.Each defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison, military judge Muwafaq al-Masaeed said as he read the verdict.The case erupted in April when Hamzah said the army told him not to leave his house or communicate with anyone, revealing a rare public split within the Hashemite ruling family.Eighteen people were arrested, many of them were close aides to Hamzah. Sixteen were later released after a royal order and two only were referred to a State Security Court.The two are former finance minister and ex-chief of the royal court Bassem Awadallah and member of the royal family Hassan bin Zaid.Prosecutors accused them of incitement against the regime, attempting to cause sedition and endangering the security of the society.The sentences can be appealed at the Court of Cassation.The trial began three weeks ago behind closed door, during which the defendants pleaded not guilty to the incitement charges. The court refused their lawyers’ request to call for more than 20 witnesses including several of King Abdullah’s brothers.In his verdict, al-Masaeed said the defendants adopted ideas that opposed and incited against the state and the king and that they wanted to “take advantage of the economic, political and social circumstances” in the country and the region.Hassan bin Zaid was sentenced to another year in prison and a 1,000 dinar (1,400 dollars) for drug abuse, Petra news agency reported.On April 3, Hamzah said in recorded videos that the military chief of staff told him not to leave his house or communicate with people, after some publicly criticized the government or the king in his presence.A day later, authorities said they had foiled a destabilizing plot involving Hamzah and that investigations have led to the arrests of several high-profile figures, who have been in contact with “foreign parties.” Hamzah was never referred to investigation. He pledged support and loyalty to Abdullah following mediation within the royal family and the king declared the sedition attempt was stopped.The 41-year-old was the crown prince between 1999 and 2004, when Abdullah removed him, before appointing his own son, al-Hussein several years later.Hamzah, the son of late king Hussein and his fourth wife, Queen Noor, is a popular figure in Jordan and is usually praised on social media for his condemnation of corruption in the mostly desert kingdom.