Members of banned party referred to court after ‘attempting to discuss Anti-Terrorism Law’ with MPs

AMMAN — Authorities on Monday referred two members of  a banned Islamist party to the State Security Court for attempting to discuss amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Law with lawmakers at Parliament. 

In a decision issued early Monday, Prosecutor General Ali Mubaideen referred to trial Islamic Liberation Party members Nayef Lafi and Ibrhaim Al Kharabsheh on charges of “illegal actions that threaten the political regime” and “membership of an illegal organisation” one week after they were arrested outside Parliament.

The Islamic Liberation Party is a regional political movement calling for the restoration of the Islamic caliphate. It is outlawed in Jordan due to its calls for abolishing Arab governments and monarchies.

Lafi and Kharabsheh were reportedly arrested last Tuesday while waiting to meet with lawmakers to express their concerns over the draft amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Law.

According to the charge sheet, the two men were arrested one hour before MPs convened to discuss the law in their general session.

“These two men are charged with promoting ideology and propaganda that are beyond personal freedoms and violate the law and will be tried accordingly,” Mubaideen said. 

The court decided to commence the Islamists’ trial in a morning session this Thursday.

Meanwhile, Lafi’s brother, Yaqoub, claimed the detainees have faced “duress” and “stressful conditions” since their arrest last week.

He charged that the two men have been placed in solitary confinement and have remained bound and shackled since their detention — procedures normally reserved for those facing terrorism-related charges or foreign military combatants.

“They are being treated as armed jihadists who have just returned from Syria,” charged Yaqoub, who visited the two men on Saturday.

According to their relatives, Lafi and Kharabsheh had attempted to meet with lawmakers Mohammad Hajaya and Mohammad Qatatsheh to discuss their objection to the legislation, which was forwarded by MPs to the Lower House Legal Committee last Tuesday.

The two deputies could not be reached for comment.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the Islamic Liberation Party’s Jordan branch called on lawmakers to secure the release of its two detained members, whom they referred to as “political prisoners”, and to scrap the amended Anti-Terrorism Law to “protect the freedom of expression” in the country.

The government referred an amended Anti-Terrorism Law to Parliament last week in a bid to tackle the growing number of threats posed by jihadist and Islamist militant groups in Syria.

Human rights and political activists have raised objections to the proposed legislation, which they claim includes broad terms such as “seditious acts” and “damage to the civic environment” and criminalises the publishing of “terrorist ideology” by news websites.

Authorities have defended the legislation, which lays out clear penalties for support or affiliation to “terrorist” groups in neighbouring countries.