Jordanian court sentences pair in alleged coup plot against the king
By Sarah Dadouch and Shira Rubin,
Khalil Mazraawi AFP/Getty Images
Jordan’s state security court sentenced two high-ranking ex-officials on Monday for a “discord scheme” that aimed to sow incitement against King Abdullah II, though did not address the role of the king’s half brother, Hamzah, who was originally believed to have been behind the alleged coup.
The court found Bassem Awadallah, a former top aide of the king and a Jordanian citizen who also holds Saudi and U.S. citizenship, and Sharif Hasan, a little-known Jordanian official and member of the royal family, guilty of sedition and incitement. Both men were sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Hasan was also sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $1,410 for drug possession and use.
Both men pleaded “not guilty” to the sedition and incitement charges brought against them.
[What to know about Jordan, the U.S. ally that faced an alleged coup attempt]
“The two accused hold anti-state ideas and together sought to cause chaos and strife within the state and society,” said a statement from the court, carried by Jordan’s state news agency.
A U.S.-based former federal prosecutor, Michael Sullivan, represented Awadallah. He has accused the Jordanian state of torturing his client, including the use of electric shocks, to force a confession.
Jordanian officials have denied allegations of mistreatment.
Sullivan said the trial before Jordan’s state security court “has been completely unfair,” meeting behind closed doors on just six occasions.
The high-profile verdict comes just days before King Abdullah’s July 17 visit to the White House. Abdullah will be the first Mideast leader to be hosted by President Biden.
The White House said in a statement that the visit would be “an opportunity to discuss the many challenges facing the Middle East and showcase Jordan’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the region.”
A critical U.S. ally in counterterrorism operations, the resource-poor monarchy has long been considered a bastion of stability in the region. But in recent years, as reports of high-level corruption have continued to come out and coronavirus restrictions have tightened — exacerbating economic woes already made dire by the influx of Syrian refugees — anti-government demonstrations have grown in Amman and other major cities.
The sedition trial began after Awadallah and Hasan were arrested in April on charges of conspiring to replace King Abdullah II with his younger and more charismatic half brother, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein.
Abdullah and Hamzah are both sons of Jordan’s late King Hussein, though they have different mothers.
The reported coup attempt against Abdullah led to sweeping arrests targeting nearly 20 high-ranking Jordanian officials, including those who were accused of having engaged with the Jordanian opposition in exile and with other, unnamed international actors.
The king later said Prince Hamzah’s case, and the rare royal feud, was handled within the confines of the palace. Prince Hamzah, who has made infrequent public appearances since the allegations earlier this year, has professed his fealty to the king after being placed under house arrest for days.
What to know about Jordan, the U.S. ally that faced an alleged coup attempt
Nearly 20 arrested in alleged plot against Jordan’s King Abdullah II
