Jordan Times
Monday, March 16, 1998
Parliamentary delegation inspects prison conditions;
21 Ma'an detainees released
By Tareq Ayyoub
AMMAN — A four-member parliamentary delegation Sunday
visited Salt prison and met with 40 "political
prisoners" jailed on several charges, a member of the team
said.
The head of the Public Freedoms Committee in the Lower House,
Mohammad Azaideh, said the team inspected the living conditions
of the inmates and the jail.
Mr. Azaideh told the Jordan Times that most of the prisoners were
"affiliated with Islamic groups involved in 'political
activities' and were sentenced to several terms in jail."
"In general, the jail's condition is good but there are some
problems that should be addressed, such as the size of the cells,
which are little bit small," the deputy said.
He added that the inmates have asked that regular visits by their
families be allowed and sent requests to the government for
general amnesty.
Mr. Azaideh said some of the inmates were affiliated with the
"Arab Afghan," which fought against the Soviet
occupation of Afghanistan, and were involved in masterminding
attacks on public places in the Kingdom.
The deputy said the team was not able to visit the detainees in
Baireen jail in Zarqa, who were allegedly involved in the
February riots in Ma'an, "for lack of time."
Meanwhile, 21 detainees who were charged with taking part in the
two-day riots which rocked Ma'an were released Sunday upon orders
from His Majesty King Hussein, Jordan News Agency, Petra.
During the disturbances, the government ordered the army to
deploy in Ma'an and a six-day curfew was imposed on the city,
home to more than 30,000 inhabitants.
The army launched a house-to-house search for suspects involved
in the unrest, which led to the death of one person and the
injury of 23 others.
The agency said "those who were charged with 'slight
offences' were set free." It did name these offences.
The agency said the prosecutor general of the State Security
Court, where the detainees were scheduled to be tried, sent a
memo ordering their release in return for a "written
guarantee" from them.