A Jordanian prosecutor on Monday urged a military court to jail former MP Ahmad al-Abbadi for five years for anti-government action, despite protests by Human Rights Watch. In his closing arguments, the prosecutor said Abbadi should be sentenced to five years in jail for undermining the state, belonging to an illegal movement and distributing anti-regime leaflets, a judicial source said. A vocal government critic, Abbadi heads the US-based Jordan National Movement and is accused of posting a letter on the Internet addressed to US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid attacking King Abdullah II's government.
Last month Abbadi denied posting the letter and told the state security court that the accusations against him were "politically motivated and malicious." On Friday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the trial as a "politically-motivated ... assault on free speech. The only reason Abbadi languishes in jail waiting for his court verdict is that he's a government opponent exercising his right to free speech," said HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson. Abbadi, who last served in Parliament from 1997-2001, was arrested in May following a complaint by Interior Minister Eid Fayez, whose name was mentioned in the letter, in which Abbadi also made allegations of human rights abuses. The trial is to resume on October 8, when the defense is due to give its closing arguments.