In Jordan Sedition Trial, US Defendant Alleges Torture

Bassem Awadallah, a former royal adviser, leaves a state security court in a vehicle after the first session of his closed-door trial, in Amman, Jordan, on June 21, 2021. Raad Adayleh/AP Photo, File

AMMAN, Jordan—A U.S. citizen and former top aide to Jordan’s King Abdullah II alleged he was tortured in Jordanian detention and fears for his life, his U.S.-based lawyer said Sunday, on the eve of a verdict in the high-profile sedition trial linked to a rare public rift in the kingdom’s ruling family.

Along with the mistreatment allegations, the closed-door trial before Jordan’s state security court “has been completely unfair,” Michael Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor hired by defendant Bassem Awadallah’s U.S.-based family, told The Associated Press.