Police investigate death of man in custody

AMMAN — Police are investigating the death of a suspect who reportedly killed himself while in custody for two charges at the Sharia Court, an official said on Sunday. 

The suspect, who has been detained at Kufranjeh police station, allegedly hung himself while in the police cell late Saturday, according to Police Spokesperson Amer Sartawi.

“The body was discovered hanging from a bar at the top of a window inside the cell,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times over the phone on Thursday.

The prisoner allegedly wrapped one end of his bed sheet around his neck and tied the other end to the window bar.  

The official said that the body was sent to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for an official autopsy.

Sartawi said officials are treating the incident as “a case of suicide”, stressing that investigators have only made initial conclusions. 

Kufranjeh, 75km northwest of Amman, witnessed several gatherings of the suspect’s relatives in front of the police station on Saturday night, as Gendarmerie forces were deployed in the area.

The government’s human rights coordinator, Basil Tarawneh said that the government is “following up closely on the case and will inform the public about its outcome once we receive the results from the concerned agencies”. 

He stressed that Jordan abides by the rule of law and that “no one is really above the law, because we are a state that respects human rights and ensures just legal procedures”.