Jordan to Try Suspects Arrested in 'Sedition' Case

King Abdullah II lays a wreath at a memorial in Amman on the occasion of the Kingdom's independence (AFP)
King Abdullah II lays a wreath at a memorial in Amman on the occasion of the Kingdom's independence (AFP)
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Jordan to Try Suspects Arrested in 'Sedition' Case

King Abdullah II lays a wreath at a memorial in Amman on the occasion of the Kingdom's independence (AFP)
King Abdullah II lays a wreath at a memorial in Amman on the occasion of the Kingdom's independence (AFP)

Jordan’s State Security Court started an investigation into the case of former chief of the royal court, Bassem Awadallah, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, and others, accused of sedition and “undermining the security and stability of the kingdom,” according to judicial sources.

Almamlaka stated TV quoted an official source as saying that the Public Prosecutor of the State Security Court began Wednesday the investigation into the coup for all those involved, without giving further details.

The State Security Prosecutor will review the case of April 03 which was linked to the former Crown Prince Hamza bin al-Hussein, the King’s half-brother.

Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh asserted in a parliamentary session that the former heir will not be tried and that his case “has been resolved within the Royal Household,” and the case has been handed over to the prosecution.

Activists circulated copies of the ruling family law issued in 1937, which did not include immunity for family members.

Khasawneh revealed, in two separate House of Representatives meetings last Monday, details of the relationship between Prince Hamza, Awadallah, and bin Zaid.

He disclosed that there had been suspicious movements and visits exchanged between the prince and the former chief of the Royal Court, as well as coordination that lasted more than a year.

According to the deputies, Khasawneh said they even discussed dates to implement their plans to destabilize security and stability, in preparation for the prince to present himself as a King.

Meanwhile, deputies stated that the prime minister linked the recent events with the pressures that King Abdullah II faced for refusing to join the plan of the “deal of the century” that was promoted by the former US administration.

The prime minister stated that the evidence proves the involvement of the detainees, confirming elements tried to use local incidents to instigate strife and mobilize forces against the King. They even used thousands of fake accounts on social media, directed from abroad to spread rumors and rhetoric against the Kng.

Earlier, a joint force of the armed forces and the General Intelligence arrested 16 people, including Awadallah and bin Zaid.

Prince Hamza was ordered to halt all actions targeting security and stability, and then Prince el-Hassan bin Talal succeeded in forcing him to sign a letter, in which he renewed allegiance to the King, placing “himself at the disposal” of the Jordanian monarch.

Last Sunday, Prince Hamza appeared behind King Abdullah II with the sons of the late King Hussein and his cousins visiting the royal graves on the occasion of 100 years of the Hashemite kingdom’s independence.



Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
TT

Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE

Türkiye’s foreign minister said after meeting Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for the YPG militia to disband.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
Sunday's visit to Damascus by Hakan Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast.
Speaking alongside Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Fidan said he had discussed the YPG presence with the new Syrian administration and believed Damascus would take steps to ensure Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"In the coming period, the YPG must come to a point where it is no longer a threat to Syria's national unity," Fidan said, adding the YPG should disband.
The SDF played a key role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards ISIS fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.
Fidan said the international community was "turning a blind eye" to the "illegality" of the SDF and YPG's actions in Syria, but added that he believed US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach.
He said the new Syrian administration had told him during their talks that they could manage the ISIS prison camps, if needed.
In a Reuters interview on Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye. He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense minister said Ankara believed Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all of the territory they occupy in the northeast.
Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the Kurdish fighters.
Ankara had for years backed opposition groups looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.
Fidan said all international sanctions imposed against Assad must be lifted as soon as possible to help Syria start rebuilding, offering Ankara's assistance on matters such as infrastructure development.
Sharaa told Sunday's press conference his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.