Jordanian appeals court upholds verdicts in royal sedition trial
Former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also is a US citizen, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a minor member of the royal family, were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for allegedly trying to destabilize the kingdom.
A Jordanian court on Thursday upheld the convictions of a former royal adviser and the king’s distant cousin, who were found guilty of sedition for plotting to overthrow the monarchy.
A state security court in July handed 15-year sentences to ex-royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who is also a US citizen, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a minor member of the royal family, to 15 years in prison. The pair, who had pleaded not guilty, were accused of conspiring to destabilize the kingdom with Prince Hamzah bin al-Hussein, a former crown prince who is the half brother of King Abdullah II.
The court of cessation on Thursday denied their appeal request, saying it agreed with the earlier court ruling that Awadallah and Sharif Zaid are guilty of “sowing discord” and "inciting opposition to the political regime.”
"The court finds the acts committed were tangible activities that found their expression in ways meant to encourage and prod against the political system in Jordan," the court said in a statement.
