CAIRO: The Jordanian Minister of Justice has hit back after social media users criticized him for holding a wedding reception for his son amid strict coronavirus measures. Local reports said Bassam Talhouni has held a wedding reception for his son at a restaurant in Amman, prompting angry Jordanians to take to social media and react to what they considered a violation of public safety regulations. “It is very unfortunate and painful the extent of slander and privacy violation that affected me and my family in recent days, all based on mere lies...” Talhouni wrote on his Facebook page. “All that’s been done was a dinner invitation for a limited number of close family and friends, and I did not invite any of my fellow ministers. “We expressed our happiness for our son in a family dinner at a restaurant while maintain the safety measures and within the permitted operating capacity of the restaurant,” he added. Users said the wedding ceremony was attended by a large number of guests, which led to overcrowding inside the restaurant. Jordan has imposed a ban on gatherings of 20 people and more after COVID-19 cases began increasing again this month.