Jordanian state security court prosecutes civilians

State Security Court

A leader and a youth activist in the Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested in Jordan with a view to prosecution in the State Security Court:

[Defense counsel Hekmat] Rawashdeh said, “I was surprised with the notice of arrest and indictment by a military prosecutor, since the rule is that the defendant must be referred to the civil public prosecutor,” describing the arrest of [Mohammed Said] Bakr as arbitrary. If convicted, Bakr could face a prison sentence of between three to 15 years.

Also on Sept. 16, the Jordanian security services arrested Adel Awwad, a Brotherhood youth activist, and charged him with incitement to undermine the regime and stir strife.

According to a 2012 comment by Human Rights Watch,

Jordan’s State Security Court is a special court that is not independent of the executive. The prime minister appoints its judges, who typically sit on panels of two military judges and one civilian judge. The court has jurisdiction over penal code crimes deemed to harm Jordan’s internal and external security – involving drugs, explosives, weapons, espionage, and high treason but also including offenses related to peaceful speech.