Jordan's chief prosecutor has sent former parliament member Tujan Faisal for trial at the State Security Court after accusing her of "undermining the reputation of the state", a legal source said Monday.
The prosecutor, Colonel Mohannand Hijazi, accused Faisal, who was the first elected woman deputy from 1993-1997, of having propagated in Jordan and abroad "information that undermines the reputation of the state and its officials" and "incited crimes and troubles", the source added.
This offence is punishable by a six-month prison sentence as well as a fine of 50 Jordanian dinars ($70).
Furthermore, the prosecutor accused Faisal of addressing "words offensive to religious feelings" to the prison guards, punishable by an additional three months in prison.
The date of her trial has not yet been established.
52-year-old Faisal was arrested on March 16 for two weeks after she sent a letter to Jordan’s King Abdullah II in which she accused Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb of having "benefited financially" from a government decision to double car insurance costs. The government denied this accusation.
She was freed on March 29, and re-arrested two days later, the day before she was to hold a press conference at her home to explain the details of her arrest and the accusations brought against her, AFP said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
