Amman: The deputy leader of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood went on trial on Thursday after he criticised the UAE for placing his group on a list of “terrorist organisations”.
Zaki Bani Rashid, who appeared in a blue prison jumpsuit at Amman’s state security court, denounced his arrest and trial in a military tribunal as unconstitutional.
“I reject this trial and my presence here before the state security court. This court does not have the jurisdiction to look into my case,” he told the judge from the dock.
Rashid was arrested last month and accused of “acts that could harm Jordan’s relation with a brotherly state” after he criticised the UAE for blacklisting more than 80 Islamist groups.
He and his legal team insisted that the accusation against him falls under the jurisdiction of a civilian court, not the state security court.
But the state prosecutor said that any act that undermines Jordan’s relations with another country falls under the country’s anti-terrorism law.
Jordan is a close ally of the UAE and both are part of the US-led campaign against Daesh that currently 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 and has branches across the region.
The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is the main opposition force in the kingdom and has wide grass roots support.
