Jordanian police intervened on Jan. 13 to end clashes between dozens of reformists and pro-government elements who attacked the protesters after weekly prayers at the Grand Husseini Mosque in central Amman, activists said. “They attacked us with sticks and stones after we ended the protest because of bad weather. There were injuries,” said an activist who belonged to a pro-reform youth movement. The protest was to press for the punishment of corrupt officials whom the demonstrators held responsible for poverty in the country.
Two Jordanians died earlier this week in two separate incidents after committing suicide by setting themselves on fire. Their relatives cited poverty as the key motive for killing themselves. Protesters shouted slogans against the lower house and called for tangible steps to fight corruption in the country.