* Zaki Bani Rushaid jailed for 18 months * Most high-profile opposition figure held since 1995 * Lawyer criticises verdict as attack on free speech (Adds lawyer, details and background) By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A court in Jordan jailed the deputy head of the country's Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday for publicly criticising the United Arab Emirates, in a verdict his lawyer described as illegal and an attack on free speech. The military court sentenced Zaki Bani Rushaid to 18 months in prison after convicting him of souring ties with a foreign country, a judicial source said. He is the most high-profile political figure in decades to be imprisoned in Jordan, a U.S. ally that has so far been spared the turmoil that has spread across much of the Middle East following the Arab Spring revolts. Bani Rushaid was arrested in **vember after criticising the UAE on social media for designating the Brotherhood, which is Jordan's biggest opposition party, as a terrorist group and thereby serving Israeli interests.
03-03-2015, 02:36 PM
Jordan jails senior Brotherhood official for criticising UAE
العرض الشجري