Jordan has rejected a U.S. request to release a former top Jordanian official imprisoned in an alleged plot against the Western-allied monarchy, according to his family and lawyer.
Bassem Awadallah, a dual Jordanian-American citizen, has spent over two years in Jordanian prison after being convicted of plotting against King Abdullah II with the king’s own half-brother. He denies the charges, and his lawyers say he was convicted in a sham trial that lacked due process.
