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AMMAN: The former Crown Prince of Jordan said on Saturday (April 3) that he is under house arrest, but denied being part of any conspiracy against his half-brother, King Abdullah II, as he harshly criticized government corruption.
In a video sent to the BBC, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein said that the army chief of staff had visited him earlier that day to say: “I was not allowed to go out, communicate with people or meet with them.”
He said that several of his friends had been arrested, their security removed and their internet and phone lines cut.
But the prince insisted that he was not part of a conspiracy and that he was “not responsible for the government breakdown, corruption and incompetence that has prevailed in our governance structure for the past 15 to 20 years and has gone worse”. .
The BBC said the video had been sent by Hamzah’s lawyer, when it emerged that a top former Jordanian royal aide was among several suspects arrested on Saturday.
The army said it had warned Hamzah not to harm the country’s security, but denied that he had been arrested.
“I am not part of any nefarious conspiracy or organization,” Hamzah replied in the video, adding that it was a “sad and unfortunate turn for a country that … was at the forefront of the region.”
He argued that people can no longer criticize the authorities or express an opinion “without being intimidated, harassed or threatened.”
He accused the “ruling system” of believing that “their personal interests, their economic interests, that their corruption is more important than the life, dignity and future of the 10 million people who live here.”
“Unfortunately, this country has been hampered by corruption, nepotism and bad governance, and the result has been destruction or loss of hope.”
Hamzah is the eldest son of the late King Hussein and his American wife, Queen Noor. He has officially good relations with Abdullah, his half brother, and is a popular figure close to tribal leaders.
Abdullah had appointed Hamzah crown prince in 1999 in accordance with his father Hussein’s dying wish, but in 2004 he stripped him of the title and gave it to his own eldest son, Hussein.
The official Petra news agency named Bassem Awadallah, head of the royal court in 2007-2008, and Sheriff Hassan bin Zaid among an unspecified number of suspects arrested on Saturday.
Sherif is a title given to people close to the royal family in Jordan.
The couple were detained for “security reasons” after a “closed” operation, Petra said, citing a security source.
Saturday’s security sweep comes as Jordan prepares to mark 100 years since the new kingdom then called Transjordan was established alongside Palestine under British rule.
It declared its independence in 1946 and, despite having little oil wealth, a severe lack of water, and being repeatedly rocked by wars on its borders, Jordan has survived.
But the centenary will be silenced.
Abdullah assumed the throne in 1999, after the death of his father Hussein, and has used the slogans “Jordan first” and “We are all Jordanians” to cement a national identity.
