Jordan Times
Friday, July 21, 2006
Islamist deputies trial to
start Monday
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) has set Monday for the start of the trial
of three Islamist deputies charged with fuelling national discord and inciting
sectarianism, a senior judicial source said on Thursday.
“The military court decided to start the trial on Monday and it is expected to
continue on Tuesday and Thursday to speed up the process because of the judicial
break,” the source told The Jordan Times.
On Tuesday, the SSC prosecutor charged the deputies with fuelling national
discord and inciting sectarianism.
Islamic Action Front (IAF) MPs Ali Abul Sukkar (Zarqa, Second District),
Mohammad Abu Fares (Amman, Fifth District) and Jaafar Hourani (Zarqa, Fourth
District) were arrested on June 11, along with Deputy Ibrahim Mashoukhi (Zarqa,
First District), who was released earlier this month.
They were first detained at Al Jafer prison, 250km south of Amman, but earlier
this week were transferred to Qafqafa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre,
50km north of the capital.
The deputies’ detention came following remarks they made allegedly praising
former Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Mussab Zarqawi as a “martyr” and “holy
warrior.”
Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike in Iraq on June 8.
The deputies also visited Zarqawi’s family in Zarqa to offer condolences,
triggering nationwide condemnation, particularly by families of the victims of
the Nov. 9 attacks.
The triple terror attacks on three of the capital’s major hotels killed 60 and
were claimed by Zarqawi.
According to the indictment, Abu Fares and Abul Sukkar delivered a speech
praising Zarqawi while paying condolences to his family, while Hourani listened
without objecting to the content of the speech.
Later, according to the charge sheet, Abu Fares told an Arab satellite channel
that Zarqawi was a “martyr, but victims of the bombings were not.”
The deputies have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They do not benefit from parliamentary immunity because the Lower House is
currently in recess.