New recording indicates Jordanian authorities tried to silence prince
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Last Updated: Apr 06, 2021, 05:31 PM IST
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Synopsis
Jordan slapped a sweeping gag order on all coverage of the dispute involving King Abdullah II s half brother, Prince Hamzah, hours after the recording circulated online, indicating authorities are increasingly nervous about how the rare public rift at the highest levels of the royal family is being perceived.
AP
A new audio recording that surfaced Tuesday indicates that Jordanian authorities tried to silence a former crown prince for meeting with internal critics but contains no mention of a foreign plot to destabilize the Western-allied monarchy that officials alleged he was involved in.
JERUSALEM — Jordan imposed a sweeping gag order on coverage of its palace feud Tuesday after a recording indicated that authorities tried to silence a former crown prince over his meetings with . . .
Jordan s Prince Hamzah has pledged allegiance to King Abdullah II following mediation talks to resolve the family feud which saw the senior royal placed under house arrest after being accused of plotting a coup.
The talks, announced by the palace on Tuesday, successfully de-escalated one of the most serious political crises in the kingdom in decades.
Jordanian authorities had accused the former crown prince of being involved in a malicious plot, along with two senior Jordanian officials, leading to the king placing his half-brother under house arrest for allegedly conspiring with foreign supporters to destabilise Jordan, a key Western ally.
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KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
Jordan imposed a sweeping gag order on coverage of its palace feud Tuesday after a recording indicated that authorities tried to silence a former crown prince over his meetings with critics, a sign officials are increasingly nervous about how the rare public rift in the royal family is being perceived.
The recording appears to capture Saturday’s explosive meeting between King Abdullah II’s half brother, Prince Hamzah, and the military chief of staff that set off the current political crisis. In the wake of that meeting, officials accused Hamzah of being part of a foreign plot to destabilize the kingdom – but no such conspiracy is referenced on the recording.
New recording indicates Jordanians tried to silence prince
CORRECTS NAME TO PRINCE HAMZAH FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2006 file photo, Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein, right, and Prince Hashem Bin Al-Hussein, left, brothers King Abdullah II of Jordan, attend the opening of the parliament in Amman, Jordan. Prince Hamzah, the half-brother of Jordan s King Abdullah II, said he has been placed under house arrest in a videotaped statement late Saturday, April 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad abu Ghosh, File) April 06, 2021 - 5:19 AM
JERUSALEM - A new audio recording that surfaced Tuesday indicates that Jordanian authorities tried to silence a former crown prince for meeting with internal critics but contains no mention of a foreign plot to destabilize the Western-allied monarchy that officials alleged he was involved in.