Jordan's state security court sentenced the kingdom's first woman MP, Tujan Faisal, to 18 months in prison for spreading information harming the reputation of the state and for defamation.
Faisal, 53, a deputy from 1993 to 1997, was also fined 20 dinars (28 dollars) after being convicted on four counts.
She reacted angrily to the verdict. "If this court had been fair and independent it would not have issued a verdict dictated by (Prime Minister) Ali Abu Ragheb," Faisal shouted in court Thursday before being led away by guards. Faisal, who has a reputation of blistering attacks against Jordanian governments, past and present, then turned to address her daughter, Diane, who broke out in tears when the verdict was heard.
"Don't worry. I will soon be free," she said while one of her lawyers, Abdel Hadi Kabariti, said his client had committed no crime and could still run for upcoming legislative elections. Faisal was arrested in March after sending an e-mail message to King Abdullah II accusing Abu Ragheb of "benefitting financially" from a government decision to double car insurance costs.
Abu Ragheb is a shareholder in an insurance firm, but the government has said he held only a "very minor" stake in the company.
Faisal was convicted of having disseminated information in Jordan and abroad undermining the reputation of the state and its officials, defaming judicial authorities and uttering statements "offending religious sentiment".
According to AFP, she was handed the toughest permissible sentence law by court president Colonel Tayel Raqqad, two days after prosecutor Colonel Mohannad Hijazi asked for her conviction for slander. "The court established ... that the accused made statements and published articles containing false accusations aimed at distorting the image of Jordan and inciting troubles in the kingdom," Raqqad said.
He also accused Faisal of having undermined the king by sending him an e-mail via the website of the US-based Arab Times, known for its staunch criticism of Jordan. He said she criticised Jordan's policies towards Iraq at a conference in Baghdad in March, in which she said Amman's position varied like the stock market. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
