ALBAWABA - An American citizen of Jordanian origin, jailed in the kingdom for sowing sedition, went on a hunger strike in his prison cell, his lawyer said.
Bassem Awadallah also urged the U.S. government to demand his return to the United States.
Bassem Awadallah, a dual US-Jordanian citizen, was arrested in April 2021 and sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of incitement against the state and sowing sedition, in what came to be known as "the prince Hamza case."https://t.co/qB11tRX3Sz
— Jassar Al-Tahat (@JassarTahat) February 13, 2023
Awadallah is a dual Jordanian-American citizen who held several top Cabinet portfolios in Jordan. He is a former confidant of King Abdullah II and held told economic advisory roles in Saudi Arabia.
He was arrested in April 2021.
A military court then sentenced him to 15 years in prison on charges of incitement against the state and sowing sedition in connection to an attempt, the court said, led by Abdullah's step-brother, Prince Hamza, to “destabilize” the kingdom.
(CNN) —Bassem Awadallah - A US citizen detained in Jordan is calling on the US government to demand his return to the United States and launching a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. #awadallah#bassemawadallah https://t.co/MNZyHmsQJI
— Bassem Awadallah (@AwadallahBassem) February 13, 2023
Awadallah denied the allegations, calling the charges "fabricated."
Hamza, who is under house arrest, also denied the charges.
Awadallah began a hunger strike to call attention to his "unjust imprisonment," his U.S. lawyer Michael Sullivan said in a statement released by representatives for Awadallah, according to CNN.
The cable network said Awadallah urged both Biden administration officials and Republican lawmakers in Congress to advocate his release.
