Jordan prevents Palestinian writer from entering country
The Jordanian authorities have prevented the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Writers Union at home, writer Saeed Nafaa, from entering Jordan to participate in the 21st Amman International Book Fair.
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Secretary-General of the Palestinian Writers Union, writer Saeed Nafaa
Palestinian writer Saeed Nafaa, Secretary-General of the General Union of Palestinian Writers, revealed on Monday that the Jordanian authorities prevented him from entering the country.
A statement on his Facebook page said, "The Jordanian authorities prevented Writer Saeed Nafaa, Secretary-General of the General Union of Palestinian Writers - Carmel 48, from entering Jordan to participate in the 21st Amman International Book Fair."
Nafaa indicated that he "has absolutely no explanation for this strange, reprehensible and unexpected measure, as he had previously visited Jordan several times before being sentenced to prison in 2015. As for his visit to Syria, which caused his prison sentence, took place through Jordan and with Jordan's blessing."
Prior to being elected as a Secretary-General of the Writers Union, Nafaa was a member of the Knesset representing the National Democratic Alliance party for two terms, from 2006 to 2013.
In 2015, the Israeli occupation supreme court sentenced Nafaa to one year in prison for allegedly “going to an enemy state and contacting a foreign agent and an important official in a terrorist organization,” following his visit to Syria and his meetings there.