Jordan orders ban on media coverage about royal rift

Jordan’s public prosecutor banned the publication of any information about tensions between King Abdullah II and his half-brother, former Crown Prince Hamzah, state television reported on Tuesday.

The ban only impacts media outlets in Jordan.

“In order to keep the security services’ investigation into Prince Hamzah and the others secret, (it is decided) to ban the publication of anything related to this inquiry at this stage,” prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat said in a statement.

“The ban on publication involves all audio-visual media and social networks, as well as the publication of all images or video clips relating to this subject on pain of legal action,” he added.

Ex-prince lashes out at leadership

The prosecutor’s order came after Hamzah pledged loyalty to Abdullah two days after the prince claimed to be placed under house arrest.

The Jordanian government over the weekend confirmed that it carried out several arrests over an alleged plot to “destabilize the kingdom’s security.” Officials have accused the ex-crown prince of involvement.

Hamzah had hit back in a recording that circulated online on Monday, saying: “I don’t want to make moves and escalate now, but of course I’m not going to obey when they say you can’t go out, you can’t tweet, you can’t communicate with people, you’re only allowed to see your family.”

King Abdullah IIrevoked Hamzah’s title of crown prince in 2004.

The videos and recordings made by Hamzah were a striking shakeup for the kingdom. Not previously known as a critic, Hamzah slammed Jordan’s leadership for corruption, nepotism and authoritarianism.

Over the weekend, the prince sent a video to the British broadcaster BBC, saying he’d been placed under house arrest. He also criticized the government for “incompetence that has been prevalent in our governing structure for the last 15 to 20 years and has been getting worse.”

“No-one is able to speak or express opinion on anything without being bullied, arrested, harassed and threatened,” he said.