AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan’s King Abdullah has decreed restrictions on the movements, place of residence and communications of his estranged half brother Prince Hamza, the royal court said on Thursday.
Hamza, a former heir to Jordan’s throne who was placed under house arrest last year, was accused in April 2021 of trying to destabilise the monarchy in a foreign-inspired plot, but was spared punishment after pledging allegiance to the King.
A former royal chief adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and a minor royal were sentenced to 15 years in jail for their involvement in the alleged plot.
Hamza, 42, was named Crown Prince when King Hussein died in 1999 and Abdullah became king, but lost that title five years later when Abdullah installed his own son as heir as stipulated under the constitution.
The feud shook Jordan’s image as a haven of stability in the unpredictable Middle East.
The palace was angered when the estranged prince announced last month he was giving up his royal title in protest over Jordan’s current policies.
The palace says that under royal family laws, titles can be revoked only by the monarch.
Hamza’s movements had been eased after he issued an apology in March in which he pledged not to act against the interests of Jordan’s rulers.
(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Enas Alashray and Alaa Swilam; editing by John Stonestreet and William Maclean)
