Jordan Times
Monday, August 7, 2006
2 deputies sentenced
over Zarqawi incitement
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Sunday
sentenced two Islamist MPs to imprisonment for fuelling national discord and
inciting sectarianism by praising Abu Mussab Zarqawi, the killed Al Qaeda leader
in Iraq.
Deputy Mohammad Abu Fares, 68, was sentenced by the military tribunal to two
years in jail and fined JD400, and MP Ali Abul Sukkar, 45, to 18 months in
prison and fined JD200. A third deputy and fellow member of the Islamic Action
Front, Jaafar Hourani, was acquitted because “his action did not constitute a
crime”.
But a non-military judge of the three-member tribunal called for acquitting Abu
Fares and Abul Sukkar, saying that their statements hailing Zarqawi as a
“martyr” fall under Article 15 of the Constitution that guarantees freedom of
expression.
The MPs paid condolences to the family of Zarqawi after he was killed by a US
air strike in Iraq.
Arrested on June 12, the three men were charged after complaints by the families
of some of the 60 people killed in the November Amman bombings, for which
Zarqawi claimed responsibility.
Several human rights organisations criticised their arrest. In June, Abu Fares
told Al Arabiya satellite channel that Zarqawi was a “holy warrior” and said the
victims of the Amman bombings were not martyrs.
After the verdict, the deputies again said they were innocent and their lawyers
said they will appeal.
“The verdicts were unbalanced and politically motivated and were aimed at
preventing Abu Fares and Abul Sukkar from running in next year’s parliamentary
elections,” Defence lawyer Fathi Abu Nassar said.
If the Cassation Court upholds the verdict, the deputies might be expelled from
the Lower House and would not be able to run in elections.