Jordanian court announces verdict on suspected royal conspiracy
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Amman, Jordan (Associated Press)-The Jordanian National Security Court is expected to announce its verdict on Monday and try two former officials accused of conspiring with King Abdullah II’s half-brother to instigate unrest in the Western Union Kingdom.
Bassem Awadallah, a U.S. citizen and senior aide to the former king, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, were arrested in April on charges of conspiracy against the kingdom , Involving the king’s half-brother and former king Prince Hamza. Crown Prince.
The royal family stated that it has settled the dispute with Hamza. Hamza’s specific identity is unknown, but he has never been formally charged. Avadala’s American lawyer said that his client claimed that he was tortured during detention in Jordan and was worried about his life.
The three Jordanians were accused of inciting turmoil against the monarch while seeking foreign help. Hamza denied these allegations in a video statement released after his house arrest in April, saying he was suppressed for opposing corruption and poor governance in the ruling system.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to incitement and incitement charges, which will be sentenced to long prison sentences.
Abdullah is expected to arrive in Washington on July 19, when he will become the first Arab leader to meet President Joe Biden at the White House. Jordan is a close ally of the United States in the Middle East and is regarded as a key partner in the eventual revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Michael Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor hired by Avadala’s family in the United States, told the Associated Press that the closed-door trial only included six hearings and was “completely unfair.”
Avadala said he was beaten, electrocuted, and threatened with future abuse “if he does not plead guilty,” Sullivan said.
The court rejected the request of the Jordanian defense lawyer to call witnesses. The prosecutor only shared the alleged records, but not the audio from the surveillance of the suspected planner.
The prosecutor’s office of the National Security Court denied that the trial was unfair, stating that Awadallah had received due process in accordance with Jordanian law and was not subjected to any form of abuse. It stated that Avadala only filed the torture charges when the sentence was approaching.
Sullivan, a former U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts and former acting director of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said that based on how the trial was conducted, the guilty verdict appears to be a foregone conclusion. He said that any conviction will be appealed.
Avadala also has Jordanian and Saudi citizenship, and has served as the president of the Jordanian Royal Court and government minister. He has extensive business interests in the Gulf region and has advised Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Mohammed bin Salman) to attract foreign investment. The Avadala family urged the Biden government to call for his release.
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