Death penalty, prison terms for men involved in Lebanese Mazen Diab murder

AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced two men to death and two others to prison terms ranging from eight to 12 years after convicting them of robbing and murdering renowned Lebanese radio talk show host Mazen Diab at his home in an Amman neighbourhood in August 2014.

Diab, 31, who worked at Sawt Al Ghad local radio station, was found dead with his hands tied behind his back in his apartment in the Amir Rashed neighbourhood near Mecca Mall on August 15, 2014.

 The court sentenced two men to death for their role in murdering the victim and two others for robbery and complicity in robbery, a senior judicial source said.

 “The court decided to acquit two defendants of murder charges because it was established in court that they were only involved in robbing the victim and not in his killing,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

 Court documents said that one of the main defendants befriended the victim via a mobile application on August 12.

 “When the defendant visited the victim, he discovered that he had a lot of valuable posessions at his house,” court papers said.

 The defendant informed the three other suspects and they decided to rob the victim, according to court papers, which noted that, on the day of the murder, the defendants headed to the victim’s house and tied him up as soon as they entered the house.

They proceeded to beating him up with a blunt object.

 “The victim did not die, so they grabbed a traditional head dress and chocked him with it,” the court said.

 The defendants then filled two bags with his belongings and left the apartment carrying the stolen items; two of the men dropped one bag and fled when they saw a police vehicle in the area, the court added.

When police searched the bag, they discovered the murder and reviewed footage from cameras placed on a building near the victim’s apartment, the court stated.

Following thorough investigations and examination of the victim’s mobile calls’ history, the police arrested the defendants. 

The tribunal comprised Majid Rafayeh, Anwar Abu Eid and Nawaf Samarat. Criminal Court Prosecutor Ahmad Kinani had asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment on the defendants.

Thursday’s verdicts will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.

Diab hosted the live talk show “Wo inta mraweh” (While heading home from work) aired on Sawt Al Ghad.

 The victim, who is single, had been residing in the Kingdom for eight years, a close friend had told The Jordan Times shortly after the murder was committed.  

 Diab had been diagnosed with lung cancer the year prior to the murder and underwent surgery to have one of his lungs removed, according to the friend.

 Following this experience, he dedicated part of his life to raise awareness on cancer in Jordan and the region by producing an awareness documentary on cancer titled “Ija Dawry” (It was my turn), which he distributed to schools, local NGOs and government institutions, the friend added. 

“He was loved by many in Jordan who listened to Sawt Al Ghad because he gave a new, interesting and creative angle to radio talk shows in Jordan,” the close friend said.

 The victim is survived by his father, mother and two brothers.