Amman: A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to 18 months in prison for criticising a decision by the UAE to blacklist his organisation.
The state security court in Amman found Zaki Bani Rasheed, the deputy head of the Brotherhood in Jordan, guilty of making statements “likely to damage relations between the kingdom and a foreign country”.
Rasheed, 57, made no comment after the verdict but his lawyer Saleh Al Armuti said he planned to appeal.
Rasheed was arrested in November after he criticised the UAE for blacklisting more than 80 Islamist groups including the Brotherhood.
In comments published on his Facebook page, Rasheed described the UAE as “the prime godfather of terrorism” and accused the country of serving US and Israeli interests in the region.
Jordan is a close ally of the UAE and both are part of the US-led campaign against Daesh, which controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Organisations blacklisted by the UAE include Al Qaida, Daesh, Yemen’s Al Houthi militia and the Muslim Brotherhood — which was formed in Egypt in 1928 and has branches across the region.
The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is the main opposition force in the kingdom and has wide grassroots support.
