Jordanian military prosecutors have charged six activists with insulting King Abdullah II during a demonstration in the southern city of Tafileh last week, a judicial official said on Tuesday. “Twenty-one have been arrested following the demonstration. State security court prosecutors have charged all of them with rioting and six of insulting the king,” the official told AFP. “Police are still searching for 30 more people,” he said without elaborating. If convicted, the six suspects face three years in prison each.
Tafileh was the scene of several demonstrations last week to demand the government introduce reforms and find jobs for youths in the city. Police used tear gas to break up the demonstrations after protesters threw stones at government buildings. And a security official was stabbed on Friday during a demonstration in Tafileh, according to police. Last week, the military court released an 18-year-old political activist from jail after the king pardoned him for burning a picture of the monarch.
