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The former crown prince of Jordan said on Saturday that he had been placed under “house arrest” and denied having conspired to undermine the “security and stability” of the Hashemite kingdom, as accused by the army, demanding a “ceasefire” with this. finish.
In a video sent to the BBC by the Crown Prince’s lawyer until 2004, Hamza claims that the chief of staff came to his residence in the morning and informed him that he was “not allowed to go out” and communicate with or meet with other people. . .
He assured that he did not participate in any conspiracy and stressed that “he is not responsible for the deterioration of governance, corruption and incompetence” of the authorities of his country.
Jordan’s official news agency PETRA reported that several people had been arrested, including the former senior adviser to King Abdullah II.
In a press release, Jordan’s chief of staff, General Youssef Hunayti, denied that the former crown prince had been arrested, but confirmed that Hamza had been asked to “stop activities that could be used in the kingdom.”
“I did not participate in any conspiracy, nor am I a member of any malicious organization,” Hamza said in the video, in which he expressed regret that he was no longer able to express his opinion or practice. the authorities “without being intimidated, persecuted or threatened.”
“The people in power in the Hashemite Kingdom believe that ‘their personal interests, their economic interests, their corruption are more important than the lives, the dignity and the future of the ten million people who live here,'” said the prince. Hamza.
“Unfortunately, this country has plunged into corruption, nepotism and mismanagement, resulting in the extinction or loss of all hope,” he added.
A video with identical content, in which Hamza speaks in Arabic, was broadcast by Al Jazeera.
Hamza is the eldest son of King Hussein, who died in February 1999, and his American wife, Queen Noor, named Lisa Halabi.
When Abdullah became king, after the death of Hussein’s father, he made Hamza his successor prince, at his father’s request. But in 2004 he stripped him of the title and gave it to his eldest son, also known as Hussein.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Prince Hamza has been “restrained” as part of an investigation into a coup plot.
General Huneyti said several arrests had been made, “investigations are ongoing” and their results “will be disclosed in full transparency.”
According to unconfirmed reports, the head of Prince Hamza’s office, Yasser Mazzali, was arrested; according to one of his nieces, the security forces took him to an unknown location.
General al-Hunayati confirmed the arrests “for security reasons” of only two prominent figures. One is Basem Ibrahim Awadala, a former finance minister and chief judge, and the other is Hassan bin Zayed, a member of the royal family.
Saudi Arabia has expressed its full support for King Abdullah’s “decisions and measures”, while Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have issued identical statements.
