Activists fear security backlash following controversial Cabinet reshuffle
Almost a week after King Abdullah appointed a new General Intelligence Department chief and asked him to deal effectively with anyone who tampers with constitutional foundations, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed a conservative minister of interior, which could signal a return to tough handling of protesters and activists.
Jordanian activists fear a return to stiff security handling of their protests following a controversial government reshuffle May 9, which handed the Ministry of Interior portfolio to a septuagenarian conservative figure known for his hard-line positions. Almost 28 hours following the appointment of Salameh Hamad, 75, a number of vocal activists in Jordan’s so-called Hirak movement were reportedly arrested in various parts of the kingdom.
The reshuffle, the third in Omar Razzaz’s one-year-old government, took place almost a week after King Abdullah appointed a new General Intelligence Department chief. In a letter to newly appointed chief Gen. Ahmad Husni on May 1, the king asked him to confront anyone who dares tamper with the foundations of the Jordanian Constitution and who abuse the difficult and delicate circumstances the country is passing through.
