Reuters Muhammad Hamed
The agency “Ruiners” quoted witnesses and residents as saying that police in Jordan used tear gas yesterday, Monday, to quell protests against the curfew imposed to contain the outbreak of the Corona virus.
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She said that the police took measures after hundreds of demonstrations in several cities, including the capital, Amman, for a second day, defying the night curfew that was extended last week.
Many protesters called on the government to resign and end the emergency laws in place since the start of the pandemic. Civic groups say these laws violate civil and political rights.
Witnesses said that the authorities deployed several thousand riot police to disperse the demonstrators, and dozens of activists were arrested in several cities and towns.
A resident stated that police used tear gas to disperse crowds in several cities, including the capital’s crowded Jabal Nazzal neighborhood.
Users and sources within the telecom sector told Reuters that the authorities had banned some Facebook applications that allow live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The interruption lasted for several hours.
The authorities have extended the curfew several times since it was imposed a year ago, most recently on Saturday, amid an increase in COVID-19 cases.
On Monday, officials said that Jordan recorded 9,417 new cases of corona during the past 24 hours, the highest toll in one day since the start of the epidemic. The country has recorded 5,428 deaths so far due to the virus.
The Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah, said in statements carried by state media that he understood people’s frustration with the deteriorating living conditions, but he warned his countrymen who seek to sow “discord.”
Source: “Reuters”
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