CNN
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A US citizen detained in Jordan is calling on the US government to demand his return to the United States and launching a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment.
Bassem Awadallah, a dual US-Jordanian citizen, was arrested in April 2021 and sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of incitement against the state and sowing sedition in connection to an effort Jordanian authorities allege was led by Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein to “destabilize” the kingdom. Representatives for Awadallah called the charges “fabricated,” and Hamzah has denied the allegations.
Awadallah, a former Jordan finance minister, is launching a hunger strike to call attention to his “unjust imprisonment” and urging both Biden administration officials and Republican lawmakers in Congress to advocate his release, his US lawyer Michael Sullivan said in a statement released by representatives for…
2023-02-12 19:32:01
Article from www.cnn.com
Bassem Awadallah, a US citizen of Palestinian heritage and former Chief of Royal Court for Abdullah II of Jordan, began a hunger strike today after having been unlawfully detained for two months without charge or access to legal counsel.
Awadallah was detained in April 2021, held at an undisclosed location, and refused access to his family, his legal team, or representatives from the US Embassy in Jordan. He has been challenging his detention, charging that he is being held as part of a political dispute and demanding his immediate release.
Awadallah’s lawyer released a statement saying that his detention is “illegal and unprecedented,” adding that all requests to the Jordanian Attorney General for clarification of his situation have been refused.
During the time of his detention, Awadallah was placed in isolation and denied basic contact with his family or legal team. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch released a statement of concern over the former court chief’s treatment, while Amnesty International has expressed deep concern over the lack of transparent legal process in Awadallah’s case.
Bassem Awadallah has lived and worked in Jordan since he was a young adult and has developed a career in international business and finance. He is a US citizen, and his detention is said to stem from his previous work as a well-respected adviser to King Abdullah and the Jordanian Government.
The US Embassy in Jordan has expressed concern over the situation and the lack of transparency in Awadallah’s case. It called for “prompt access to appropriate legal counsel and a fair and transparent judicial process.”
Bassem Awadallah’s Hunger Strike is a desperate plea for help that has been met with near-silence from the Jordanian government. His plight is a striking example of the human rights abuses that can occur with impunity in Jordan and other countries in the Middle East.