Amman: Hamzah bin Hussein, the half-brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, has said that he is under house arrest and accused the country’s “ruling system” of incompetence and corruption. This is a rare case of discord within the ruling monarchy in Jordan, America’s key ally in West Asia. This video message from Prince Hamza came on Saturday. Earlier, the country’s official news agency reported that two former senior officers and other suspects had been arrested for “security reasons”.
However, the authorities refused to put Hamza under house arrest or detention. In a video available with the BBC, the former Crown Prince said that the country’s military chief came to him in the early hours of Saturday and told him that he was not allowed to go out, talk to people or meet them. He said that his phone and internet services have been discontinued. He told that he is talking through satellite internet and he is also afraid of this service being discontinued. The BBC reported that it had received this statement from Hamza’s lawyer.
Hamza reported that he was informed that he was punished for attending meetings in which the king was criticized. However, he is not accused of being involved in the criticism. Hamza is a popular figure in Jordan. He is seen as a religious and humble man who is connected to the common people and is like his father the late King Hussein. He had earlier accused the authorities of “failed management” after passing an income tax law in 2018, criticizing the government.
