Muslim preacher still in solitary confinement, but well treated — lawyer

AMMAN — Muslim preacher Amjad Qourshah’s lawyer on Monday denied reports that the university professor had asked to be held in a private room, and said his client was in solitary confinement.  

“News reports quoted an anonymous security source as saying that Qourshah is being held in a private room upon his request. This is baseless and even if this were the case, it would still considered solitary confinement according to the law,” Mahmoud Dqour told The Jordan Times.

Qourshah was detained on June 13 reportedly over a video in which he criticised Jordan’s participation in the war against Daesh. 

The prosecutor has ordered the detention of the preacher on charges of harming Jordan’s ties with a friendly state.

“It is very strange that Qourshah is still being held without questioning,” the lawyer said, noting that the scholar was only allowed to receive his family once during Eid Al Fitr.

The lawyer reiterated the defence team’s plan to resort to international human rights organisations to look into the violations against him. 

In earlier remarks to The Jordan Times, Dqour said that Qourshah was being treated as a “criminal” while being deprived of his right to be questioned, but the lawyer clarified that his client was not being mistreated by guards.  

“All in all, he is being treated with utmost respect,” said Dqour. 

“The prosecutor general continues to say that Qourshah’s interrogation will start soon, but no one has spoken to him until now,” noted the lawyer, adding that the preacher’s morale is “very low” due to his situation.

Dqour said his client “has not done anything that would damage Jordan’s ties with any country”.

The State Security Court has previously denied to grant bail to Qourshah.