Jordan ‘slander’ case dropped

A military prosecutor has dismissed the case brought against a former cabinet minister who was charged with slandering Jordan’s King Abdullah II and harming national unity.

Abu-Odeh was charged for criticising Jordan's royal family

The official Petra news agency reported on Sunday that Adnan Abu-Odeh “will not be tried and the case against him is considered closed,” quoting an unnamed attorney general at the military state security court.

Abu-Odeh, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin who was once minister of information and a political adviser to the king, was questioned earlier this week following remarks he made on Al Jazeera television on October 21.

He allegedly criticised Jordan’s royal family and the government’s treatment of Jordanians of Palestinian origin.

Military prosecutors said a complaint was filed by Mufti Ahmed al-Jadaya, the chief Islamic cleric of the city of Jerash.

After he was charged, Abu-Odeh told reporters that he believed in “the fairness of Jordanian justice” and refused to comment further.

Abu-Odeh, who was born in the West Bank city of Nablus, served for more than 20 years as political adviser to King Hussein and was reappointed to the post when his son, King Abdullah, ascended to the throne in 1999.

Source: AFP