Ex-Jordanian official hospitalized after starvation strike

A former prime Jordanian official imprisoned in an alleged plot in opposition to the Western-allied monarchy was rushed to the hospital over the weekend after a three-week starvation strike, the person’s American lawyer stated Monday.

Bassem Awadallah, who’s a twin Jordanian-American citizen, was affected by low blood strain and sugar ranges when he was hospitalized Saturday, his representatives stated.

They stated he was given glucose intravenously however refused additional intervention as soon as his situation stabilized. He has since returned to jail and stays on his starvation strike.

“My shopper’s life stays in peril as his well being declines day by day,” stated Michael J. Sullivan, Awadallah’s legal professional.

He stated Awadallah’s household has urged the U.S. authorities to “take instant motion” to safe his launch and holds Jordan’s King Abdullah II chargeable for the hurt to Awadallah.

A Jordanian safety official known as the claims of a starvation strike “inaccurate,” saying Awadallah has been consuming liquids recurrently.

“He was hospitalized on the advice of the medical group and later discharged after receiving the mandatory remedy,” the official stated, talking on situation of anonymity below safety pointers. “He’s now in good situation.”

The official stated there was no obligation for Jordanian officers to inform the American Embassy as a result of Awadallah is a Jordanian “at the beginning.” However he stated that Awadallah is entitled to fulfill with a U.S. consular consultant, who visited him on Monday.

The U.S. Embassy in Jordan had no instant remark.

Jordan is a detailed Western ally that hosts a whole bunch of hundreds of refugees and has lengthy been seen as an island of stability in a unstable area. However the uncommon palace feud uncovered deep-rooted economic and social challenges within the nation, which borders Israel, the occupied West Financial institution, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Awadallah, who as soon as served as a prime adviser to the king, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal household, had been discovered responsible of sedition and incitement two years in the past and sentenced to 15 years in jail. They had been alleged to have conspired with Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother, and to have sought overseas help in a plot in opposition to Abdullah.

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The convictions passed off following a closed trial that lasted simply six classes in a navy court docket. The court docket denied requests by protection legal professionals to name witnesses, and prosecutors shared solely purported transcripts, however not authentic audio recordings, from surveillance of the alleged plotters.

Awadallah’s representatives have stated the trial lacked due course of and that Awadallah has endured inhumane circumstances. Jordan denies the allegations, saying his remedy has been “in accordance with worldwide conventions and authorized requirements.”

Hamzah was positioned below home arrest in April 2021 for his alleged function within the plot. On the time, he stated he was being punished for talking out in opposition to official corruption.

He apologized to the king a yr in the past, in keeping with the Royal Court docket, however the next month, he formally relinquished his princely title to protest the “present approaches, insurance policies and strategies of our establishments.”

Final Might, the king positioned Hamzah back under house arrest, citing his half-brother’s “erratic conduct and aspirations.”

Abdullah and Hamzah are sons of King Hussein, who dominated Jordan for almost half a century earlier than his loss of life in 1999. Abdullah appointed Hamzah as crown prince upon his succession however stripped him of the title in 2004.