AMMAN: A Jordanian court Sunday sentenced a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to 18 months in prison for criticizing a decision by the United Arab Emirates to blacklist his organization.

The state security court in Amman found Zaki Bani Rsheid, deputy head of the Brotherhood in Jordan, guilty of making statements “likely to damage relations between the kingdom and a foreign country.”

Rsheid, 57, made no comment after the verdict but his lawyer Saleh al-Armuti said he planned to appeal.

The Islamic Action Front, political wing of the Brotherhood’s Jordanian branch, in a statement denounced the verdict as going against “individual liberties and the freedom of expression.”

It was “a clear and negative political message,” the IAF said.

Rsheid was arrested in November after he criticized the UAE for blacklisting more than 80 Islamist groups including the Brotherhood.

In comments published on his Facebook page, Rsheid described the UAE as “the prime godfather of terrorism,” and accused the energy-rich Gulf state of serving U.S. and Israeli interests in the region.

Jordan is a close ally of the UAE and both nations are part of the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS.