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Demonstrations broke out in Jordan following the July 17, 2017 conviction of Sgt. Maarek Abu Tayeh of the murder of three U.S. soldiers on November 4, 2016 at the Prince Faisal Air Base. Abu Tayeh was sentenced to life in prison by a Jordanian military court, although members of his Howeitat tribe told Jordanian online outlets that the clash was between the U.S. soldiers and members of the Free Syrian Army they were training. MEMRI TV Clip No. 6128 below shows footage of these demonstrations.
The attack in November 2016 was similar to an attack that took place in Jordan in November 2015 in which five people, including two Americans, were killed. Please also see MEMRI TV Clip No. 5160 Jordanian Police Officer Who Killed Two Americans And Three Others Buried As 'Martyr' below Clip No. 6128 for footage of the funeral of the attacker in the 2015 shooting.
On-Screen Banner: "We continue our civil disobedience until justice is done for the hero. Freedom for the hero Maarek Abu Tayeh Al-Howeit."
Protester: "The trial that was held for our son, who defended the homeland and the honor of the Jordanian armed forces, which is within the soldiers' duty... He faced an American court, even though he was defending the homeland. The Americans were killed by the Free Syrian Army, which they were training at the King [sic] Faisal Air Base. It was not Maarek who did this."
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Man: "Everybody here understands that the court ruling was political, and had nothing to do with the legal system. The proof is that all the people of Jafr, all the eye-witnesses, saw that the clash was between the Americans and the Free Syrian Army they were training."
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Protester 2: "That soldier, Maarek Abu Tayeh, was defending the honor of Jordan, and the honor of the Jordanian armed forces. He did his duty in keeping with the rules of engagement of the Jordanian army. We had expected him to be acquitted, not to receive a life sentence."
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Woman: "All that Maarek did was his duty. He joined the army when he was 18.
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"They know that he is brave. They know that he is a real man. He is loyal to the King and to the state. Does he deserve to be sentenced for life and to be denied of his mother?"
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