Jordan to release four prisoner who were detained by Israel

Friday August 15, 2008 22:44 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

An senior Jordanian official stated on Friday that the Jordanian government decided to release four prisoners who were transferred from Israel to Jordan more than a year ago during talks between Israel and Jordan.

The four Jordanian prisoners

The four detainees, Sultan Al Ajlony, Amin Al Sane’, Salem Abu Ghalyoun, and Khaled Abu Ghalyoun, will finish their terms on August 20 and will be immediately released.  The Jordanian Ministry of Justice officially informed the Israeli government with its decision.

The four detainees were arrested by Israel in 1990 and were each sentenced to one life-term  after being accused of killing two Israeli soldiers.

Last year, Jordan managed to achieve a deal with Israel to transfer the four detainees to its territories to continue their imprisonment there, but part of the deal states that Jordan can release them if Israel conducts any prisoner swap deal with any group.

After Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party implemented a swap deal last month, in which Israel release five detainees and returned the remains of 199 Palestinian and Lebanese nationals, civil society institutions and the opposition in Jordan increased their pressures on the Jordanian government demanding it t release the four detainees.

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