‘10 activists released after no evidence found’

AMMAN — Authorities on Monday released 10 detainees out of the 22 who were recently arrested for investigation into alleged acts that disturbed the peace and threatened society as well as making firecrackers, said their lawyer, Hikmat Rawashdeh.

Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times that investigations by the prosecutor general’s office found no evidence to charge the detainees, adding that they are now in "good" condition.

The released detainees are Hamzeh Shahin, Mazen Nafe, Albaraa Doar, Tamer Haj Ali, Faraj Hannani, Anas Abdulfattah, Khaled Dooum, Bilal Younis, Salah Tayem and Mohannad Jbara.

Rawashdeh noted that the released detainees include two university students from the West Bank who do not hold Jordanian national numbers, highlighting "efforts and hopes" to release another 12 detainees facing similar investigations. 

Anas Abu Khdeir, the coordinator of the Popular Committee to Defend Detainees, said the released detainees were now at their houses.

Moreover, he said the detainees, including those released Monday, are as young as university students and as old as 50 and over.

Abu Khdeir, who is also a member of the Jordan Engineers Association's freedoms committee, said the 22 detainees include eight engineers.

Shireen Nafe, sister of Mazen Nafe, one of the detainees released on Monday, said her brother, who was arrested on October 29, spent the longest time under investigation among his fellow released detainees.

She added that reasons behind his detention were unknown for the first two weeks after his arrest.