Jordan begins trial of Danish Cartoonist

AMMAN: A Jordanian court on Monday put on trial in absentia Danish artist Kurt Westergaard who is being sued in the kingdom for blasphemy over a controversial cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH).

"A court in Amman began today the trial in absentia of those who insulted the Prophet (PBUH), including Westergaard and Danish newspapers which published his offensive cartoon," said Tareq Hawamdeh, lawyer for local journalists and activists who brought the suit.

"Judge Nathir Shehadeh adjourned the trial until May 8 to hear the witnesses," Hawamdeh said in a statement.

A Jordanian prosecutor summoned Westergaard for questioning that year after 30 independent newspapers, websites and radio stations in Jordan sued him in 2008 over the cartoon.

Three years ago, 17 Danish newspapers reprinted the controversial caricature, which was first published in 2005, sparking violent protests across the Muslim world, including Jordan.

Westergaard, 75, who has faced numerous death threats and assassination attempts, told AFP after the subpoena that "I have not heard about this trial and have not been informed."

"In any case, I have no intention of going even if I am asked to," he said on Friday, pointing out that "I do not want to risk becoming familiar with the Jordanian prisons, which would be hell."

Jordanian MPs have demanded that the government sever ties with Denmark, and Amman has condemned the caricature, warning that it could spark further extremism and harm relations between Denmark and Muslim countries. (AFP)