Qatar's appeal court postponed judgement on a death...

Qatar's appeal court postponed judgement on a death sentence handed down against a Jordanian journalist for spying, but lawyers expressed optimism that it would be quashed. The court set a new hearing for February 24, saying it needed more time to consider defence submissions in the case, which sparked a diplomatic rift between Jordan and Qatar. An employee of Qatari state television and son of a former Jordanian information minister, Firas Majali was condemned to death by Qatar's supreme court on October 22, 2002 after being convicted of spying for a "foreign country" widely identified as Jordan. Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb himself intervened in the case after the announcement of the original verdict, saying that his government hoped the appeal would be "considered in a realistic and just manner." Majali's Jordanian lawyer Ahmed Najdawi said that he felt the court was "veering towards acquittal." The journalist's father, Nasouh Majali, appealed to the "wisdom" of Qatar's leadership to ensure the death sentence was quashed. Qatari law only allows two outcomes in espionage cases - acquittal or death. Majali's original sentencing came amid a diplomatic spat between Jordan and Qatar over the Doha-based satellite television station Al- Jazeera, which aired a programme highly critical of Jordan in August, sparking the closure of its Amman offices. The two Arab countries later patched up relations and Jordan's ambassador Omar al-Ahmad returned to Doha in November 2002 after a nearly four-month absence.