Jordan Government Forms Committee to Probe Attacks on Protesters

By Nayla Razzouk - Feb 20, 2011

Jordanian Justice Minister Hussein al-Majali said he has formed a judicial committee to probe assaults that left four protesters injured.

The five-member committee will carry out a “serious” investigation to bring the assailants to justice, al-Majali said in remarks published by the state news agency Petra.

The demonstrators were beaten by assailants wielding sticks during a protest in Amman after they were confronted by pro- government activists chanting slogans in allegiance to King Abdullah, General Security spokesman Mohamad al-Khatib said Feb. 18.

Islamic and other opposition groups in Jordan have held demonstrations every Friday since a revolt in Tunisia forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile on Jan. 14. Pro- democracy protests have spread to Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen since Ben Ali’s ouster.

Jordan’s King Abdullah dismissed his government and formed a new one earlier this month that was tasked with starting a “genuine political reform process.”

Opposition leaders, including Islamist Leith Shbeilat and political activist Muaffaq Mahaddeen, held a press conference after the attack to denounce the assault, which they said was carried out by “thugs” sponsored by state security forces.

They vowed to demonstrate to mark a “day of rage” on Feb. 25 to draw attention to the assault and pursue demands for political and legislative changes, better living conditions and anti-corruption measures.

They’re seeking a law that would guarantee more representative elections and a prime minister that is elected instead of being appointed by the king.

Jordan, one of the smallest economies in the Middle East, imports more than 90 percent of its oil and relies on foreign investment and grants to finance its budget and current-account deficit.

Like Egypt, Jordan is an American ally that has signed a peace treaty with Israel and is one of the biggest Middle Eastern recipients of U.S. aid.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-20/jordan-government-forms-committee-to-probe-attacks-on-protesters.html.