Daily US Times: Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, Jordan’s former crown prince, says he has been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on critics.
Prince Hamzah is the half-brother of King Abdullah. He accuses the country’s leaders of corruption, harassment and incompetence. Hamzah claimed this in a video passed to the BBC by his lawyer.
The video message by Prince Hamzah comes after a number of high-level arrests said to be linked to an alleged coup plot.
The military earlier denied that Prince Hamzah was under house arrest, but the military said he had been ordered to stop actions that could be used to target the country’s “security and stability”.
The move apparently comes after a visit by the prince to tribal leaders where he is said to have garnered some support.
Prince Hamzah said he was not part of any conspiracy and has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, powerful regional countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt have voiced support for King Abdullah. The US, which is allied with Jordan in its campaign against ISIS, described the monarch as a key partner who has its full support.
In the video recorded on Saturday, the Jordan Prince says: “I had a visit from the chief of general staff of the Jordanian armed forces this morning in which he informed me that I was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them because in the meetings that I had been present in – or on social media relating to visits that I had made – there had been criticism of the government or the king.”
The Prince says he was not accused of making the criticisms himself.
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