Jordan begins trial of opposition writer who criticised king

A Jordanian court began on Sunday the trial of opposition writer and political activist Adnan Al-Rousan, over a Facebook post in which he criticised King Abdullah II and government officials, AFP reported citing his lawyer Assem Al-Omari yesterday.

“My client, writer Adnan Al-Rousan, 71, appeared yesterday before the court, and denied the charges against him,” Al-Omari said.

“The court decided to detain Al-Rousan for a week from Sunday at the Marka Correction and Rehabilitation Centre until the next session, scheduled for next Sunday,” he added.

Al-Rousan was charged with “incitement and sowing division”, broadcasting false news that undermines state prestige, defaming an official body and humiliating a public official.”

According to his lawyer, Al-Rousan is being tried over two Facebook posts published on 23 and 30 July.

In one of the posts, Al-Rousan wrote that Jordanians “are silent and stifled by anger, waiting for the king to reform himself and abandon festivals, films, trips and conferences and focus on the country.”

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“This is your legal duty towards the Jordanians, O King. You have been entrusted to satisfy [ citizens’] hunger, cover their nakedness, secure their craft, protect their honour and morals, and not rise above the Earth too high,” he added.

In another post, Al-Rousan said the sons and daughters of government ministers, prime ministers and officials should be treated as ordinary citizens.

Jordan is suffering from difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021 unemployment rates rose to about 25 per cent, according to official figures, rising to 50 per cent among the youth.

Meanwhile, the poverty rate has also increased to 24 per cent, and public debt exceeded $51 billion, more than 110.6 per cent of GDP, in the middle of 2022.