On Monday, the Jordanian State Military Security Court sentenced Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid to 15 years in prison with hard labor for their involvement in a case of sedition.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – July 12, 2021 – International News
Awadallah, the former head of Jordan’s royal court, and Bin Zaid, a distant member of the royal family, were brought to trial for plotting to undermine the government and the country’s security and stability.
The State Security Court allowed journalists to attend part of Monday’s hearing but from outside the courtroom via a television screen.
The head of the court, as he read the indictment, said that the case is related to the Jordanian system of government, whose “legitimacy derives from the constitution, which states that the system of government is representative, monarchy and hereditary.”
Al-Qadi added that Awadallah held several government positions in Jordan, which enabled him to build a communications network inside and outside the country. He said that bin Zaid is of Jordanian nationality and works in the private sector.
The court was told that the two men had been friends since 2001 and had hostile attitudes toward the regime, the king, the legitimacy of the king’s rule, and the constants of the Jordanian state.
The military judge also said that the two suspects conspired to create chaos and strife in society, taking advantage of some internal and external events.
“What happened was a criminal conspiracy of the suspects to fulfill their hidden desires and target the existing regime. The court had clear and convincing evidence of the crime.”
Awadallah’s lawyer, Mohamed Afif, the former head of the Specialized Criminal Court, said he would appeal the ruling before the Court of Cassation (the Supreme Court).
Awadallah and Bin Zaid were arrested on 3 April along with 15 other people suspected of involvement in the case.
At the time, Jordanian authorities said that Awadallah and Bin Zaid were trying to destabilize the country in cooperation with “foreign entities.”
The Public Prosecutor of the State Security Court brought charges of sedition and incitement against Awadallah and Bin Zaid, accusing them of conspiring with the emir to destabilize the country and fueling unrest against the king in cooperation with foreign parties.
Awadallah and Bin Zaid pleaded not guilty at the opening trial earlier in June.
Both suspects submitted written statements to the court.
The indictment against Awadallah and Bin Zaid stated that they were old friends due to the nature of their work and “exploited some incidents, including the economic hardship and hospital tragedy in March, to create chaos and frustration in the country.”
Seven patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) died in March at the Al-Salt Governmental Hospital, northwest of the capital Amman when the oxygen supply was disrupted.
The charges said they met regularly at Awadallah’s home.
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Source: Ukrgate