Jordan: After release of ‘seditious’ Prince Hamzah’s pledge of loyalty, prosecutor bans all media coverage of palace scandal

The uncle of King Abdullah II of Jordan was tasked with defusing the situation with Prince Hamzah, who was accused of seditious activities. A media gag order was issued by the capital’s prosecutor amid the unfolding scandal.

The plot thickened on Tuesday in the unfolding palace drama involving Prince Hamzah, the half-brother of the king of Jordan, who along with some other people was arrested on Saturday. Prince Hassan bin Talal, the uncle of King Abdullah II, was assigned by his august nephew “to resolve the recent developments,” the royal court said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor general of Jordan’s capital, Amman banned all publications concerning the scandal in the royal family. The gag order was justified by the need to protect the “secrecy of investigation,” prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat said in a statement to local media. The ban covers not only legacy media, but also social media networks, which face legal action if they run “images or video clips relating to this subject,” the official warned.

Earlier on Monday evening, state media released a letter attributed to Prince Hamzah, in which he pledged loyalty to the king personally and the traditions of the Hashemite dynasty, which rules Jordan.

“I place myself in the hands of his majesty the king,” the letter reads. “The interests of the homeland must remain above every consideration. We must all stand behind the king in his efforts to protect Jordan and its national interests.”

The royal court said the letter was signed after Prince Hassan, the royal mediator, visited Prince Hamzah at his residence, where he remains under house arrest.

Prince Hamzah is currently incommunicado. The last audio message he managed to leak on Monday struck a defiant tone, expressing his intention to “escalate” the situation. He denied plotting against the king and said his arrest was revenge by rivals for offering mild criticism of government policies.

The prince was accused of plotting with a foreign power to undermine national security and harm the royal family. The royal court indicated that it wants to resolve the conflict internally.

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