Jordan Charges Syrians with 'Unlawful Assembly'
Military prosecutors have charged eight Syrians with "unlawful assembly" after riots erupted this week at their refugee camp in northern Jordan, a judicial official said on Thursday.
"State security court prosecutors on Wednesday accused eight Syrian refugees of unlawful assembly and carrying out riots" at the U.N.-run Zaatari refugee camp near the border with Syria, the official told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.
The men, who face up to three years in jail if convicted, have been remanded in custody for 14 days, he said.
On Monday night, Jordanian anti-riot police fired tear gas to quell a demonstration by angry Syrians protesting their living conditions after they torched a tent and destroyed property in Zaatari.
The next day, the government said it would isolate unmarried men at the camp, which houses more than 30,000 Syrians, to avoid more problems, insisting that Amman "will not tolerate such acts."
In August, similar disturbances took place at the camp, where Jordan said stone-throwing refugees wounded more than 20 police in a protest.
The refugees have repeatedly complained of bad living conditions at the camp, but Jordan, which says it is hosting more than 200,000 Syrian, complains of limited resources to cope with the growing influx.
The U.N. refugee agency warned Thursday that there could be as many as 700,000 Syrian refugees in neighboring countries by the end of the year, up from 300,000 now.
Source: Agence France Presse
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