Jordan: The king said that more sanctions would be imposed on his honest brother. (File)
Amman, Jordan:
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Thursday that his half-brother Prince Hamzah, accused of plotting a coup last year, was in a “delusion” and would remain under house arrest.
Jordanian authorities announced in April last year that they had failed a bid to destabilize the Western-allied state, marking a rare crisis in a nation seen as a pillar of regional stability.
Two former officers were sentenced in July to 15 years in prison after they pleaded guilty to plotting to overthrow the king on behalf of Prince Hamzah, who escaped a lawsuit in favor of house arrest.
In a statement released on Thursday, the king said his honest brother would remain under house arrest and further sanctions would be imposed on him.
A royal decree was issued approving the recommendations of the council, which was formed in accordance with the law of the royal family, to restrict Prince Hamzah’s communication, accommodation and movement, the palace statement said.
A royal court statement said Hamzah announced last month that he was “relinquishing the title of prince” a month after he apologized to the king for attempting a coup.
But Abdullah II said on Thursday that Hamzah had “exhausted all chances to recover in the right way” over the past year or so.
“The illusion in which he lives is not new,” said the king.
“Shortly after promising to abandon his erroneous path, he returned to his promise and returned to the path he had chosen years ago, putting his interests before the nation.”
The two officials convicted last year were former royal court chief Bassem Awadullah and former ambassador to neighboring Saudi Arabia Sharif Hassan bin Zayed.
Both have close ties to Riyadh and were convicted of “inciting against the regime” and “threatening society and inciting sedition.”
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)
