Cassation Court upholds 2018 plotting subversive acts ruling

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a December State Security Court ruling sentencing three men to 15 years in prison each after convicting them of plotting subversive acts in the Kingdom in November 2018.

The court declared the defendants, who are supporters of the Daesh extremist group, guilty of threatening to conduct terrorist activities against security agencies and police officers and spreading terrorist group ideologies (Daesh) and handed them the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the defendants, all residents of Ruseifeh, were strong believers in the Daesh terror group and its ideology and “voiced their happiness following the Salt terror incidents in August which left four police personnel dead and three suspected terrorists killed in the incident. 

"The three defendants became friends in early 2018 after they met in a mosque in their neighbourhood and decided to support Daesh because they believed that they apply the correct Sharia [Islamic law]," court transcripts said.

When the Salt terror incidents occurred later that year, “the defendants expressed their happiness over the death of Jordanian police officers and decided to conduct terrorist attacks on security agencies and some police officers because it was acceptable to kill them based on Daesh ideology", court papers said.

"The defendants decided to manufacture bombs and explosive and contacted a man in Syria to inform him that they are interested in joining Daesh and conducting terrorist activities in the Kingdom," court papers said.

However, the three defendants were arrested by security agencies before they were able to carry out any of their plans, the court documents said.

The defendants, through their lawyers, contested the verdict, arguing that the SSC failed to present any solid evidence that could implicate them.

The lawyers also argued that the SSC relied on weak evidence and unreliable witnesses when issuing its verdict, according to court documents.

“Our clients were subjected to torture and duress in order to confess to crimes that they did not commit, while at the same time, the SSC did not find any weapons or explosives in the possession of our clients,” the lawyers argued.

Meanwhile, the SSC's general attorney had asked the higher court to uphold the ruling, stating that the court abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendants.

The higher court ruled that the SSC followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendants and that they deserved the received verdict. 

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin Abdullat, Bassim Mubeidin and Saeed Mugheid.