Jordan: The trial of the notorious “sedition” suspects begins Abdullah II News

Jordan’s subordinate trial has launched a relative of King Abdullah II and the former head of the royal court who were placed in the defendants’ cage at the State Security Court, facing charges sedition and revival.

On Monday, the men are accused of conspiring with a chief king — Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother — while seeking foreign aid to promote unrest against the monarch.

“As far as I know, there has never been such a case in Jordan’s history,” said defense lawyer Ala Khasawneh. Petra State News Agency confirmed the trial, which began on Monday.

The palace drama erupted in early April when Hamzah was arrested at his home. He has since broken taboos in Jordan and sent shockwaves through foreign capitals The Western powers gathered behind Abdullah, a strong ally of the region.

Case revealed rivalries Jordan has traditionally provoked public controversy in the discreet Zuchemite dynasty and the monarch. Defendants are the main establishments that usually appear in the security court, usually chasing drug offenders or members of armed groups.

The 41-year-old Hamzah is the main character, though he has no allegations. In contentious narratives, he is the champion of everyday Jordanians who suffer economic management and corruption, or a disliked king who never abdicated the crown title of Abdullah in 2004 and forgave him for giving it to his eldest son.

The accusation, spread to the state-related media, alleges that Hamzah decided to “achieve his personal intention” of becoming king. The princes and defendants – King Sharif Hassan bin Zaid and former royal adviser Bassem Awadallah – conspired to provoke contempt.

Security agencies began monitoring them in mid-March after an oxygen outage killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in the town of Salt.

After visiting Salt during the reign of Hamzah, he was reunited with comfortable families. According to the indictment, the prince “took advantage” of the pain of the families to spread the populist message.

Links to the tribes of Jordan

Hamzah’s fame comes from his ties to the Jordanian tribes, the basis of Hashemite rule.

Atef Majali, the chief of the Karak village tribe, said he and other minions had met with the prince more than ten times over the years, but denied that the king had been criticized in those incidents.

The accusations were that Hamzah and the two defendants were working on social media posts that the prince would post, with the aim of encouraging “some groups in society to oppose the government system and state agencies”.

Hamzah has denied sedition demands, being convicted of corruption and mismanagement.

On April 3, the day he was arrested at home, more than one dozens of tribal and public figures were arrested, including his main assistant. Only Awadallah and bin Zaid are under arrest.

The prince it has no legal problem, saying that the king is dealing with his family and that his half-brother remains in his charge.

The royal court has not given an opinion on whether Hamzah can leave his Amman palace or communicate with others. Atef Majali said Hamzah workers have not been allowed to return to work.

Khasawneh, who represents King bin Zaid’s distant cousin, said his client is “surprised” and intends to plead not guilty. In addition to sedition and incitement, bin Zaid is also accused of having narcotics after finding two pieces of hashish in his home.

The lawyer said he intends to call Hamzah to the posts – which could exacerbate the sensationalist nature of the trial. It is not clear whether the palace, eager to suppress the crisis, would allow the prince to make his case in such a public setting.

Khasawneh said his client intends to deal with the allegations and has dismissed questions about a possible request. In security court trials, the defendants are in a court cage. Awadallah and bin Zaid are also expected to be confined to the cage, wearing blue uniforms of the detainees, said former president of the state security court Mohammad al-Afeef, who represents Awadallah.

The defendants, who are in an intelligence complex in the capital Amman, could face up to 20 years in prison.

Foreign mixture

In the days leading up to the trial, a broader narrative surfaced, though only mentioned in the indictment. In this version, the alleged conspirators sought foreign aid to exploit the perceived weakness of the king at a time when the United States and Saudi Arabia were under pressure. the now defunct Middle East administration plan of the Trump administration it is sometimes called a “century-old treatment.”

Jordan has expressed concern that the plan would weaken the king’s historic role as a guardian of major Muslim and Christian sites competing in Jerusalem and as a pillar for Hashemites to claim legitimacy.

Allegations of foreign disclosure have focused on Awadallah, which has Jordanian, American and Saudi citizenship, and was once the official envoy of the king’s Riyadh. He has close ties to Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

In Jordan, Awadallah has been accused of enduring economic policies and corruption that mainly benefit the rich. In Riyadh, he was involved in efforts to attract foreign investment.

According to the indictment, Hamzah and bin Zaid invited Awadallah to join them because of foreign ties. At one point, Hamzah allegedly asked Awadallah, “If something were to happen to me in Jordan, would Saudi officials help me or not?”

Saudi Arabia, Jordan’s main financial aide, immediately sent its foreign minister to the kingdom after the crisis erupted, publicly reaffirming its support for the king.

Damage to Jordan

Mohammed Momani, a member of Jordan’s senate and former information minister, said there was a link between the alleged sedition plot and regional policy.

“Because of the agreement of the century, when you saw Jordan being under pressure from his main allies, you probably saw it as an opportunity or an opportunity to ask for openness or help from the outside world,” Momani said. he said he was informed of the investigation.

Momani approached the alleged foreign embassy in bin Zaid, “trying to ask for their reaction,” if the accused’s conspirators launched their plan. He did not identify the embassy.

Jordanian authorities said the plot was revealed in time, but posed a threat to stability.

Critics say allegations of a threat appear to be exaggerated, warning that any plot would need the protection of security forces.

“I can’t find any evidence that will lead to such trials,” said political analyst Amer Sabaileh. He and Momani are among the 92 members of the political reform commission formed by the king to deal with the crisis.

Sabaileh said the saga could cause permanent damage.

“It has opened the door for the Jashemites to look inside ordinary people, and I think that’s not a good thing regardless of how it happened,” he said. “It’s better to be united with this family and not show that there is a sense of competitiveness or revenge.”