Jordan court sentences former MP to two years in jail

dpa German Press Agency Published: Tuesday October 9, 2007

Amman- Jordan's State Security Court on Tuesday ordered a
two-year jail term to former parliamentary deputy Ahmad Oweidi Abbadi
for "slandering" the state, judicial sources said.
Abbadi, who served as member of the lower house of parliament in
1990s, was also charged with spreading false information abroad,
belonging to an illegal organization and distributing illegal
pamphlets, according to the indictment statement.

Abbadi was arrested on May 3 following complaint filed by Interior
Minister Eid Fayez about statements published on the internet in
April accusing Jordan and its officials, including Fayez, of
"corruption."

The statement was included in an open letter in English addressed
to US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and was posted on the website
of the Jordanian National Movement (JNM), which is chaired by Abbadi.

Abbadi denied the charges, claiming he was framed by the interior
minister and that "hackers entered the website and published the
letter" to set him up.

The verdict can be appealed before the Court of Cassation,
judicial sources said.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

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