Jordan's King Abdullah II pardoned two Islamist lawmakers Saturday who were convicted of stirring sectarian strife for their praise of the slain al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the official Petra news agency reported. Last month, a military court sentenced Mohammed
Abu Fares to two years in jail and Ali Abu Sukkar to 14 years for their "provocative" remarks about al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a US airstrike north of Baghdad on June 7.
King Abdullah, the ultimate authority in Jordan, issued a "special amnesty" Saturday, decreeing that both men be released immediately, the agency reported. No other details were immediately available. The royal pardon effectively drops the jail term, but does not omit the crime. (AP)
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