Jordan releases 16 defendants in 'sedition' case

ANKARA

Jordan on Thursday released 16 people who were detained over a "sedition" case following an order by King Abdullah II, the state prosecutor said.

“Emanating from King Abdullah II’s keenness on interests of the country and the citizen, the Public Prosecutor of the State Security Court (SSC) Hazem Majali has released 16 defendants involved in the so-called 'sedition' case within effective legal frameworks,” Jordan’s official news agency Petra reported.

Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, former head of the Jordanian royal court, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, were not released due to their "different roles, the kind of their indictment sheets, and the degree of incitement that differs from the rest of the defendants who were freed,” Petra quoted Majali as saying.

On April 3, the Washington Post reported that Jordan's former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein and 20 people were allegedly detained on grounds that they were a threat to Jordan’s stability.

The Jordanian government announced that 16 people were arrested as part of the investigation.

In a statement, Jordanian Chief of Staff Gen. Ahmed al-Huneiti denied that Prince Hamzah was detained or under house arrest but confirmed he was asked to stop activities targeting Jordan's security and stability.

Earlier this month, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said in a statement that Prince Hamzah was involved in “attempts to destabilize the country's security" with foreign parties.

"Preliminary investigations detected movements and activities by Prince Hamzah and other detainees that harm the country's security and stability,” al-Safadi said.

Prince Hamza signed a letter on April 5 confirming his loyalty to the king.

A few days later, King Abdullah said in a speech that a "rift" with his half-brother Prince Hamzah was over, adding that he was now in the palace with his family and under his care.