COURT FINDS FORMER MP GUILTY OF SLANDERING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002559

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2012
TAGS: PGOV PHUM JO
SUBJECT: COURT FINDS FORMER MP GUILTY OF SLANDERING
GOVERNMENT, SENTENCES HER TO 1 1/2 YEARS IN PRISON.

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm Reason: 1.5 (B) and (D)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) The State Security Court May 16 sentenced former
Member of Parliament Toujan Faisal to one and a half years
in prison. Because she was convicted of only
"misdemeanors," she has no right to appeal. Faisal was
convicted on all of four charges levied against her: 1)
slandering the judiciary, 2) publishing false and
exaggerated news abroad deemed harmful to the country's
integrity, 3) publishing false material deemed harmful to
the country and its citizens and 4) insulting the faith of
another. Faisal's prosecution appears to be the result of
a political vendetta by PM Abul Ragheb, against whom she
made public allegations of corruption. Even though an
isolated incident, Faisal's conviction serves as an
unfortunate reminder that the GOJ still has the ability to
use the judicial system against its domestic critics -- at
least against those who, like Faisal, are unpopular and
politically isolated.
END SUMMARY.

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BACKGROUND ) AN UNPOPULAR OPPONENT
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2. (C) Toujan Faisal was elected to Parliament in 1993 --
the only woman ever to be elected by popular vote. She was
not reelected in 1997. She was active in Jordanian media
and government before her tenure as an MP. After her 1997
electoral loss and prior to her March 16 arrest, Faisal was
seen almost universally as a political opportunist who had
little public support and who was essentially finished as a
politician. Even the most ardent of Faisal's supporters
have abandoned her of late. In a 19 May meeting with
POLOFF, Faisal's former campaign manager lamented the
former MP's political demise, stating that Faisal had blown
her opportunity to be the liberal )- as opposed to Islamic
)- opposition leader in Jordan.


3. (C) Among other public attacks on the GOJ, Faisal
accused Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb of corruption; her
specific charge was that he and his family were profiting
from a law that raised auto insurance premiums. On a
recent venture to Iraq, Faisal publicly blasted the GOJ
from Baghdad, alleging in front of an Iraqi audience that
King Abdullah II and the PM were corrupt. In addition, she
sent a letter to the King accusing several other officials
of corruption. Following her arrest, Faisal was first
released following the intervention of prominent members of
the Circassian community with the PM. However, following
further statements by Faisal critical of PM Abul Ragheb,
her Circassian supporters apparently absolved themselves of
any responsibility for her actions, and Faisal was
rearrested three days later and incarcerated pending trial.


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VENDETTA POLITICS
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4. (C) It appears that the notoriously thin-skinned PM,
despite efforts by senior GOJ officials to mollify his
anger, personally made the decision to punish Faisal for
her public allegations against him, the King and others.
PAO reports that, in a recent dinner with senior GOJ
officials, Minister of Tourism Taleb Rifai openly
challenged the tactics employed by the PM against Faisal;
Minister of Higher Education Walid Maani defended the PM's
actions and Minister of Telecommunication Fawaz Zobi sought
to moderate and tone down the heated discussion (which
occurred in the presence of senior Embassy officials). The
Ambassador also raised the Faisal case during the course of
her trial with PM Abul Ragheb, who was unrepentant,
accusing Faisal of spreading lies about him and other
cabinet ministers.


5. (C) Former MP and Islamic Action Front (IAF) member
Abdullah Akayleh told POLOFF in a May 15 meeting that the
whole event is an example of Jordanian politics at its
worst, with the PM actually raising the profile of and
lending credence to the allegation of a nearly forgotten
former MP. In a 16 May meeting with POLOFF, a senior GOJ
official heatedly criticized the tactics of the PM, stating
that it was bad for Jordan and bad for the King. This view
is widespread in political circles, although the PM
continues to hold support for his actions against Faisal,
in particular from former PM Zaid bin Shakr.

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THE VERDICT MAKES FAISAL INELIGIBLE TO SERVE IN PARLIAMENT
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6. (C) The State Security Court May 16 found Faisal
guilty of all four misdemeanor charges levied against her
and sentenced her to 18 months in custody Most people
familiar with the case expected Faisal to be given a six-
month sentence, although the Court had the authority to
sentence her for up to three years. Since these crimes are
technically "misdemeanors," the amendments made to the
State Security Court law last September prohibit an appeal.
In addition, the eighteen- month sentence will likely
prevent her from running for the Parliament in the future:
the Constitution bars candidacy for all those who have
received a sentence in excess of one year. In a 19 May
meeting with POLOFF, a local reporter indicated that there
is discussion about the possibility of the King commuting
Faisal's sentence.

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COMMENT
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7. (C) Faisal is unpopular in the political establishment
and is seen by most as an obstreperous political
opportunist. Over the years her traditional supporters,
i.e. educated, anti-islamist women, have essentially
abandoned her because of her abrasive manner and
ineffectiveness on key issues. Nevertheless, PM Abul
Ragheb's politically motivated prosecution has made her
appear to be a victim of GOJ persecution, given her
allegations of corruption greater local political weight,
and -- at least temporarily -- raised her political
profile. The harsh prison sentence -- likely given to
prevent Faisal from running for Parliament in the future --
may make some Jordanians think twice about firing salvos
toward the government. However, it has also emboldened
some regime critics ) ironically including her political
adversary the Islamic Action Front -- who have adopted
Faisal's case as a club to use to beat up the government.
While Faisal's case appears to be an isolated incident, her
prosecution, conviction, and harsh sentence show that
senior GOJ officials can still use the judicial system to
attack domestic critics.

Gnehm