Jordan court refuses to call prince as witness in 'coup' case

A Jordanian military court yesterday rejected a defence request to have Prince Hamzah testify in a case against a former royal confidant who is accused of destabilising the monarchy, a defence lawyer said.

Hamzah, the half brother of King Abdullah II, is at the centre of the allegations but he avoided punishment in April after pledging allegiance to the king.

On 4 April, the authorities in Jordan announced that the initial investigations found that Prince Hamzah, 41, had coordinated with foreign bodies to “destabilise security in the country, and incite the citizens against the state.”

Prince Hamzah denied the allegations in a video in which he also stated that he was under house arrest.

Twenty people were arrested as part of the crackdown including Bassem Awadallah, former director of the Jordanian royal court.

READ: Jordan begins hearings into sedition case involving prince