Citizens gather near Fourth Circle to thank King for general pardon

AMMAN — Citizens on Friday praised His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to the government to issue a general pardon law. 

Citizens assembled at Jordan Hospital’s parking lot, where previous protests were held over the past few weeks.

Supporters of the Royal gesture raised the King’s photos and held up banners of loyalty to the homeland and the Monarch, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

For three consecutive weeks, protesters have rallied to the same parking lot every Thursday, demanding reforms and change in terms of political and economic policies.

Aside from demands for the abolition of recent tax revamps, constitutional reforms and calls for the immediate release of political detainees, demands included the issuance of a general pardon law, which MPs and the government have been deliberating on since September.

Members of Parliament, including MP Khalil Attieh, rallied behind the calls for the general pardon, reassuring the public it will be issued before the end of year.

The House’s Public Freedoms Committee in September called on the government to respond to demands for a general pardon law similar to the one issued in 2011.

On December 13, His Majesty directed the government to proceed with the issuance of the law.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that the government would “immediately” begin taking the constitutional steps to issue the law and send it to Parliament for endorsement.

Parliamentary sources told The Jordan Times earlier in September that the House wants a general pardon law pertaining to offences perpetrated against the public interest, which are mostly of administrative nature, excluding murder and terrorism.