Middle East
Jordan Bans Media Coverage Of Royal Rift, Saudi Reaffirms Support
Jordan prohibited all news outlets and social media users on Tuesday from publishing any content related to King’s half-brother Prince Hamza after the state accused him of planning to disrupt the country. Prince Hamza promised loyalty to King Abdullah on Monday after mediation by the royal family, two days after the military warned him for his actions, which they said were damaging “security and stability” in Jordan and placed him under the house’s arrest.
In unprecedented public criticism, Hamza, the Crown Prince until King Abdullah transferred him from the post in 2004, accused Jordanian leaders of corruption and said they only had their interests. The government said he was in touch with people related to foreign parties in the plot to disrupt Jordan and that he had been under investigation for some time.
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“To maintain the confidentiality of the investigation carried out by security services about the noble Prince Hamza bin Hussain and others, the public prosecutor Amman has decided to ban the publication of everything related to investigations at this stage,” the state news agency reported. It is said that the ban applies to all news outlets and social media platforms.
In the voice recording issued by the opposition in Jordan on Monday, Prince Hamza said that he would not obey after being banned from any activity and told to remain silent. Although it was not considered a direct threat to the King, Hamza visited a tribal meeting where the King and his government had been criticized more openly in the past few weeks.
Saudi Arabia is among the countries to state support for King Abdullah. On Monday, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan traveled to Amman to meet with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, said the country’s Foreign Ministry. “King Salman reaffirmed the royal support for all steps to protect Jordan and its interests,” said the Saudi state TV.