AMMAN — Jordanian authorities
have denied reports that Bassem Awadallah, former finance minister and chief of
the royal court, has been on a hunger strike in his cell.
اضافة اعلان
Awadallah, who was arrested in April 2021 and later charged with incitement against the state, has
reportedly not eaten his meals since Monday. However, a statement from the
Jordanian
Public Security Directorate (PSD) called the reports "inaccurate
allegations".
The statement confirmed that
Awadallah refused his meals on Monday morning but had eaten his breakfast and
lunch the previous day. The PSD also stated that
Awadallah had not submitted a
written statement declaring his intent to go on a hunger strike, as required by
Jordanian law and procedures, according to Jo24.
Mistreatment in
custodyAwadallah's US attorney
released a statement on Monday saying that his client had started a hunger
strike in protest of his imprisonment and requested that the US government
return him to the US as an American citizen.
The statement also alleged
that
Awadallah had been subjected to "physical, psychological, and
emotional torture" while in custody in Jordan, and had spent “his entire
22-month detention in solitary confinement”.
Jordan's PSD has also denied
these allegations, saying that
Awadallah has not been mistreated in any way and
that allegations of torture of any kind are "patently false".
In a statement, the PSD’s
Rehabilitation and Correction Centers Department said that Awadallah was
"guaranteed due process, in accordance with Jordanian laws and
regulations", and that he "has not been mistreated in any way".
The
statement added that Awadallah's "statements to the court during his trial were given
voluntarily with no coercion".
Awadallah was convicted of
incitement against the political regime and engaging in actions that would
threaten the safety and security of society and create sedition. He was
sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in what has become known as the
"sedition case".
The directorate added that
Awadallah's meals are prepared under "strict health supervision by
specialized doctors to ensure that he remains in good health", and that he
undergoes periodic medical examinations.
Awadallah is also said to
have the ability to communicate with his lawyer in Jordan at all times, and to
receive visits from his relatives and friends. The US consul also visits
Awadallah periodically "as a person of American citizenship".
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