Jordanian teen torture victim welcomes death penalties

Court upholds death sentence for six men involved in kidnap and mutilation of Saleh Hamdan in Zarqa last year

The entrance to the market in Zarqa where both the victim's and the suspects' families had stalls. Also pictured on the left is the empty stall belonging to the men now charged with the attack on the 16-year-old boy.

A lady browses the clothes of a shop in Zarqa, a city lcoated 30km north east of Amman, where a 16-year-old boy was abducted and tortured in a revenge attack.

A vendor, who asked not to be named, in a market in Zarqa, said the level of violence executed in the attack on the 16-year-old victim is very worrying. However, he does not feel unsafe.

The street within a market in Zarqa in which the victim ran a stall before his father was sent to prison for killing a man and the family was forced to leave the area.

A second now-closed market stall at the edge of the market belonging to the men who have been charged with the attack on the 16-year-old victim.

The victim's uncle Abu Jihad at the home of Sheikh Sulaiman Mohammed Abu Khorma on the outskirts of Zarqa. He is calling for justice for the attack on his nephew that left the teenager without hands and caused severe damage to his sight.

Vendor, Nidal Al Hassan, 50, who runs a business in a market in Zarqa said as well as the police campaigns to arrest wanted criminals, changes need to be made to the law to ensure they are given tough sentences.

A vendor, who asked not to be named, in a market in Zarqa, has welcomed the police crackdown across the country following the shocking attack on a 16-year-old boy from the city.

The now-closed market stall at the edge of the market belonging to the men who have been charged with the attack on the 16-year-old victim.

Nidal Al Hassan, 50, a vendor in one of Zarqa's markets believes the only way to solve the issue of crime in the city is to issue stronger jail sentences.

Sheikh Sulaiman Mohammed Abu Khorma in his home on the outskirts of Zarqa. He was at the centre of truce talks between the two families after the attack victim's father was jailed for killing a man, which led to the revenge attack on the teenager.

The entrance to the market in Zarqa where both the victim's and the suspects' families had market stalls.

Anas Al Madadha, 37, runs a DVD store in Zarqa. He is a father to four sons. He said he level of violence shown in this attack has shocked the community and believes the death penalty should be considered.

Saleh Hamdan was 16 when a group of men kidnapped him and took him to a remote spot before chopping off his hands and gouging out one of his eyes.

The attack in October last year sparked outrage in the Jordanian town of Zarqa, where the incident took place, and across the country.

On Tuesday, the Jordanian State Security Court upheld a June 15 verdict against 10 of the men involved.

Six of them received the death penalty, one faces a 15-year prison sentence and another a 10-year sentence. The remaining two will receive a one-year jail term for their involvement.

The public prosecutor presented 26 witnesses over the course of the five-month trial, state news agency Petra reported.

"The defendants, including a fugitive, face serious charges, including terrorism and spreading fear among the public, gang formation, rape, kidnapping, causing a permanent disability, possessing a firearm without a licence, resisting the security forces and attempted murder," the agency said.

Saleh was left stranded about seven kilometres from the nearest hospital. He was eventually rescued by passers-by.

The teenager, who is described as the 'Zarqa Boy' in local media, has since been fitted with prosthetic limbs. He welcomed Tuesday's ruling.

"I thank the State Security Court for their just [ruling] and for protecting my rights," he said.

Video of a wounded Saleh, bleeding from his hands and eyes, was widely circulated online. The person who filmed the clip was arrested, Petra reported.

“A life sentence isn’t enough for what these men have done to Saleh,” Hamdan's uncle, Abu Jihad, previously told The National.

“When we found out what had happened, grown men cried, my wife collapsed and had a nervous breakdown and another of the male relatives crashed his car into a wall out of sheer anger.”

Solidarity with Saleh grew on social media following the incident, with people calling for his attackers' execution.

Jordan's King Abdullah II also called for the "most severe" punishment to be meted out to the perpetrators, according to Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni.

"His Majesty, the King, gave clear directives to all concerned agencies to provide the necessary medical attention to the victim and take the strictest legal measures against those who commit crimes that terrify society," Mr Talhouni said in October.