Jordan Jails Opposition Figure for Criticizing UAE

Arrested for Comments Made on Social Media

Human rights groups are condemning Jordan tonight following the announcement that Zaki Bani Rushaid, the deputy leader of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement in the country, for criminal speech against an allied nation.

Rushaid made a post on his personal Facebook page accusing the United Arab Emirates of being the “American cop in the region,” and supporting military coups in places like Egypt.

He was detained and pushed through a military court, which naturally found him guilty. He is sentenced to 18 months in prison for making the post.

Rushaid’s post was related to the UAE banning their own Muslim Brotherhood wing as a “terrorist organization.” The Muslim Brotherhood is a significant Islamist opposition party in several nations in the region, and was the ruling party in Egypt before the summer 2013 coup d’etat.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.