Jordan: former chief of Royal Court goes on prison hunger strike

The former chief of Jordan’s Royal Court has started a hunger strike in prison in protest against his detention, CNN said on Monday. Bassem Awadallah is a dual US-Jordanian citizen and was convicted on sedition charges in the Hashemite Kingdom. He is calling on the US government to demand his return to the United States.

Awadallah was arrested in April 2021 and sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of incitement against the state and sowing sedition in coordination with Jordan’s Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein, in order to “destabilize” the kingdom. The charges were denied by Prince Hamza, who was put under house arrest for a while and were also denied by Awadallah’s representatives, who described them as “fabricated”.

Before becoming the head of the Royal Court, Awadallah served as finance minister in Amman. He then moved to Saudi Arabia to work as an economic consultant for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

CNN reported his US lawyer Michael Sullivan as saying that the hunger strike is intended to draw attention to Awadallah’s “unjust imprisonment” and to urge Biden administration officials and Republican lawmakers in the US Congress to advocate for his release.

“The US Government should make it clear to King Abdullah and his government that continued support depends on Jordan’s commitment to human rights especially when it concerns the rights of US citizens,” said Sullivan. “It is our hope that the new Republican leadership in the House of Representatives will seek answers from the Biden administration on what steps are being taken to secure Bassem’s release.”

According to his lawyer, Awadallah has been subjected to “physical, psychological and emotional torture” while detained in Jordan and has spent his entire 22-month detention in solitary confinement.