Not guilty pleas entered in Jordan sedition trial, says defence lawyer

21 June 2021, 14:44

Jordan’s King Abdullah II
Jordan Royal Trial. Picture: PA

A defence lawyer says a former adviser to King Abdullah II and a relative of the monarch have pleaded not guilty to sedition and incitement charges.

A former top adviser to Jordan’s King Abdullah II and a relative of the monarch have pleaded not guilty to sedition and incitement charges, a defence lawyer said.

The highly anticipated trial was held under tight security and was closed to the media.

The charges revolve around an unprecedented public rift in the traditionally discreet royal family. The defendants are accused of conspiring with a senior royal – Prince Hamzah, a half-brother of the king – to foment unrest against the monarch while soliciting foreign help.

Hamzah is not facing charges, with the king having said the royal family is handling the matter privately. Yet he is the central figure in the case, and defence lawyers said they plan to call him to the stand.

Since the drama erupted into the open in early April, with Hamzah being placed under house arrest, clashing narratives have swirled around the popular prince. He is either a champion of ordinary Jordanians suffering from economic mismanagement and corruption, or a disgruntled royal who never forgave Abdullah for taking away his title of crown prince in 2004.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, centre, Prince Hamzah, second left, and others during a visit to the tomb of the late King Hussein, in Amman Jordan
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, centre, Prince Hamzah, second left, and others during a visit to the tomb of the late King Hussein, in Amman Jordan (Royal Court Twitter Account via AP, File)

The indictment, read in court on Monday, alleges Hamzah was driven by personal ambition and determined to become king. It says the prince and the two defendants – Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a royal, and Bassem Awadallah, a former royal adviser – conspired to stir discontent.

Awadallah, who has Jordanian, US and Saudi citizenship, held senior posts in Jordan, including head of the royal court and planning minister. Later, he served as the king’s official envoy to Saudi Arabia and has close ties to Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Bin Zaid is a distant cousin of the king.

They are the most senior establishment figures to appear before the security court, which typically goes after drug offenders or suspected militants.

Defence lawyer Mohammad Afeef, who represents Awadallah, told journalists waiting outside the state security that the two defendants entered “not guilty” pleas. He said the court heard two prosecution witnesses, and that another session would be held on Tuesday.

A video leaked from inside the court shows Awadallah, wearing the light blue uniform of detainees and a face mask as he was being led by guards through a room in the court. State media ran the footage and stills photos of Awadallah on their websites.

Since the royal rift became public, it has broken taboos in Jordan and sent jitters through foreign capitals, with Western powers rallying behind Abdullah, an indispensable ally in an unstable region.

The case exposed rivalries in Jordan’s Hashemite dynasty and spawned unprecedented public criticism of the monarch.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

This image provided by NASA shows Nick Hague, right, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore. (NASA via AP)

Stranded NASA astronauts reveal they were almost trapped in space 'forever' after horror malfunction

Donald Trump demands France 'free Marine Le Pen'

Donald Trump demands France 'free Marine Le Pen' after far-right leader found guilty of embezzlement in 'witch hunt'

China will impose a 34% retaliatory tariff on imports from the US

China announces additional 34% tariffs on US imports in retaliation over Trump's 'Liberation Day' levies

Friends of Prince Andrew say he's "unsurprised" Giuffre made the post

Prince Andrew 'not surprised' his accuser shared shock post saying she had 'four days to live'

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office as impeachment upheld over martial law declaration

Virginia Giuffre

Woman driving Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre during crash that left her with 'four days to live' breaks silence

Exclusive
'Donald Trump has made Putin comfortable,' Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned

'Trump has made Putin comfortable' despite massive Ukraine war losses, exiled former oligarch tells LBC

The bodies of Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbour.

British couple found dead in south of France home being ‘treated as murder-suicide’

The vehicle was later extinguished after the driver, covered in flames, emerged from the vehicle.

Amsterdam Dam Square car explosion sees driver engulfed in flames - just days after mass stabbing

d

Pictured: US tourist arrested for sailing to remote island and leaving a can of Coke for world's most isolated tribe

The Sentinelese are a pre-Neolithic tribe that rejects contact with the modern world

US tourist arrested for sailing to remote island and leaving a can of Coke for the world's most isolated tribe to try

The Trump administration has been ridiculed after imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands

'No one is safe, not even the penguins': Trump administration ridiculed after imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands

World leaders react to US tariffs

'This is not the act of a friend': World leaders react to Trump's 'unwarranted' tariffs

British couple

British couple found dead in New Zealand named - as police probe possible murder-suicide

Virginia Giuffre said she had been left with 'four days to life' after the crash

Bus driver breaks silence on Virginia Giuffre crash that left her 'with four days to live'

Foreign Secretary David Lammy

David Lammy to urge Nato allies to increase defence spending in bid to make alliance 'stronger, fairer and more lethal'