Jordan’s King Abdullah II orders release of 19 political activists

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has issued a decree to release 19 political activists charged with insulting the monarch during pro-reform demonstrations in March. A Jordanian official said on Sunday the king “instructed the government to take all necessary measures as soon as possible to release the jailed activists,” AFP reported. Some of the detained activists are from the southern city of Tafileh. “The decision was taken after the king met today with Tafileh’s tribal leaders, who urged the king to pardon the activists,” said the official, whose name was not mentioned in the news report. The activists have been accused by Jordanian military prosecutors of “incitement against the regime, rioting and insulting the king.” Six of the activists were arrested in mid-March after a demonstration in Tafileh, and the rest of them were detained after a demonstration outside the office of the prime minister in the capital Amman. Jordan’s opposition groups and international human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Amman to release the political activists. The latest decree by King Abdullah II comes as Jordanians have been holding demonstrations since January 2011 to demand political and economic reforms and an end to corruption.