2 men sentenced to 20 years in prison each for murder

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July 2021 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing two men to 20 years in prison each for murdering another man following a dispute in Ajloun in July 2019.

The Criminal Court declared the defendants guilty of murdering the victim following a brawl on July 10, and handed them the maximum sentence.

The victim died of multiple blows to his head with a blunt object, court papers said.

According to the court papers, the defendants engaged in a “heated argument” with the victim and some of his friends over a dispute regarding the border of a land belonging to the victim in Kufranjeh town.

"The argument turned into a brawl and the defendants grabbed wooden sticks and hit the victim in the head," the court documents said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead upon arrival, court papers added.

The defendants contested the verdict through their lawyer, arguing that “the prosecution failed to provide any solid evidence to implicate their clients”.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 20-year sentences.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings had been accurate and that the defendants were given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Hammad Ghzawi, Mohammad Khashashneh, Yassin Abdullat and Nayef Samarat.