|
Jordan: Security restored after rioting at 3 prisons
 Security was restored yesterday at three major prisons, where inmates rioted and took 13 unarmed prison officials hostage at the Jweideh Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for more than 12 hours. The first eight hostages were released after negotiations between police and inmates. The last five were released by mid-afternoon. Several security officers and prisoners were injured in the rioting. Briefing the Lower House of Parliament on the disturbances, Interior Minister Eid Fayez said that the rioting that took place at the Jweideh, Swaqa and Gafgafa facilities was contained peacefully. Fayez said the rioting inmates were not imprisoned on political cases but were convicted criminals including some who have been sentenced to death. He said the officers who were held hostage at Jweideh were released unharmed. Among them was Jweideh's warden and head of the Public Security Department's (PSD) prisons, an official said. Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit decided to form a committee, to be headed by Minister of Justice Abed Shakhanbeh, to look into the reasons behind the rioting, Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh said. The disturbances began around 3:00am Wednesday when a group of inmates demanded that all prisoners convicted by the State Security Court be incarcerated in the same prison and that the would-be female suicide bomber being held in custody in connection with the November 9 bombings in Amman be released, officials said. Sajida Atrous Rishawi was arrested on November 13 and made a televised confession that she attempted to detonate an explosive belt strapped to her body at the Radisson SAS Hotel, but the device failed. Fayez told Parliament that security forces could have ended the situation in minutes but the government preferred to negotiate with them [the inmates] to avoid bloodshed. PSD Spokesperson Major Basheer Al Daaja reported the situation at the prisons as stable. He said the inmates had also demanded new trials in civil courts for those convicted and sentenced by military tribunals. Daaja told reporters at a press conference yesterday that the PSD would carry out an investigation into the case, adding that a probe would reveal whether the riots were planned. Posted by: Fred 2006-03-02 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=144166 |