Five men were sentenced to death by hanging for attacking and mutilating a teenager in October in the impoverished city of Zarqa on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan's state television said.
The attack caused national outrage and exposed the spread of crime, gangs and clan violence in Jordan's urban areas.
A sixth defendant, who is a fugitive, was sentenced to death in his absence. Four defendants were sentenced to prison for periods ranging from one to 15 years, while seven others were acquitted.
A security court in Amman presided over by a military officer sentenced the men on Wednesday.
Under Jordanian law, an appeal process begins automatically within a month in front of an appellant court comprised of civilian judges.
The 17 defendants were charged with attempted murder and terrorism. All pleaded not guilty.
Hussein Al Masri, a Jordanian lawyer, said that because the case was referred to the security court, the defendants were not sentenced according to the general criminal code.
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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 severe damage to his sight. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
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, raped and tortured in a revenge attack. Charlie Faulkner for The National -
Pictured: A vendor, who asked not to be named, in a market in Zarqa, has welcomed the police crackdown across the country folllwing the shocking attack on a 16-year-old boy from the city. Charlie Faulkner for The National
"Under the security court's rules the terrorism crimes they were charged with can carry the death sentence," Mr Al Masri told The National.
The teenager's name is Saleh. He was 16 at the time of the attack.
Witnesses told the court that the attackers left the bleeding victim in a remote area in Zarqa. He was taken to hospital in the city – his hands had been cut off and one of his eyes was missing.
The authorities accused the group of hacking off Saleh's hands with an axe and gouging his eye after abducting him from a bus.
The motive is thought to have been retaliation for the murder of the lead suspect’s uncle in August.
Saleh’s father was in jail for involvement in the murder when his son was attacked, but has since been released.
In footage broadcast on state television, Saleh said the sentence was just.
"I thank the Jordanian people for standing with me," he said, sitting on a sofa and wearing a teal-coloured t-shirt.
Urban crime wave
Crime in Jordan has worsened as the economic situation deteriorated and poverty increased over the past decade.
Increasingly, criminals are becoming more organised and forming violent gangs.
Authorities arrested hundreds of suspected members of gangs and extortion rings in the first few weeks after the attack on Saleh to assuage public anger at the case.
A large proportion of those in these criminal gangs are former convicts operating rackets and smuggling rings from Zarqa and other slums inside and outside Amman.
