The former crown prince of Jordan says he has been confined to his house and his communications have been restricted amid an ongoing crackdown on alleged coup plotters.

In a six-minute video provided to the BBC by his lawyer on Saturday, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the half-brother of King Abdullah II, said he and his family have been placed under house arrest in his palace outside Amman and all his staff have been arrested.
He denied being part of “any conspiracy, or nefarious organization or foreign-backed group,” accusing the kingdom’s ruling system of corruption, incompetence, and harassment.

“I had a visit from chief of general staff of the Jordanian armed forces this morning in which he informed me that I was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them because, in the meetings that I had been present in or on social media relating to visits that I had made, there had been criticism of the government or the king,” he said.

“Since then a number of… my friends have been arrested, my security has been removed and the internet and phone lines have been cut. This is my last communication, satellite internet that I have.”

Also in the video, Prince Hamzah said he wanted to make “clear to the world that what you see and hear in terms of the official line is not a reflection of the realities on the ground. Unfortunately, this country has become stymied in nepotism, in corruption, and in misrule and the result has been the destruction or the loss of hope that is apparent in pretty much every Jordanian.”