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Alerts - Jordan

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Jordan

Publisher, journalist charged in State Security Court

The case is the fifth time in 2012 that peaceful critics have faced charges for speech offenses, a pattern that undermines the credibility of the authorities' reform efforts, Human Rights Watch said.

Jordan / Oman

Omani blogger threatened with deportation

Ammar Ma’amari, a blogger known for his criticism of the Omani authorities, has been asked by the Jordanian intelligence service to pack his bags in anticipation of a deportation order.

Jordan

Demonstrators beaten in custody

Thirteen people have been charged with speech crimes after police violently broke up a demonstration at a police station.

Jordan

Royal Court orders newspaper to remove critical article from website

The article, which was published in the al-Arab al-Yawm newspaper, was critical of unemployment, corruption, and the government's handling of recent protests in the city of al-Tafila.

Jordan

Four activists detained for criticising the king

Security services detained Saed al-Awran, Yasser al-Sabalyeh, Fady al-Ubaideen, and Majdy al-Kabaylee following their participation in a sit-in in al-Tafila district to demand job opportunities for the unemployed residents of the district.

Jordan

Activist charged, jailed after advocating for a republican state

In a media interview, Dr. Ahmad al-Oweidi al-‘Abbadi said that “[t]he republican system is coming here to Jordan, and I do not believe it will take more than two years, at most” to establish.

Jordan

Blogger stabbed after criticising royal family member

A man reportedly stabbed Enass Musallam in the stomach and threatened to kill her if she did not stop blogging about political reform in the country.

Jordan

Authorities urged to drop charges for "undermining royal dignity"

The military prosecutor has charged 18-year old activist 'Uday Abu 'Isa with "undermining his majesty’s dignity" for burning the king’s image on 11 January.

Jordan

British rights activist barred from entering country

Mohamed Jameel was inexplicably arrested and deported to Britain after arriving, along with his family, at the Queen Alia International Airport.

Jordan

ANHRI condemns attacks on media outlets, failure of security forces to provide protection

A group of protestors stormed Aljazeera's office in Amman one day after the headquarters of the Jordanian newspaper "Al-Ghad" were attacked.

Jordan

Parliament criminalises reporting on corruption

ANHRI is concerned that the new law will protect corrupt officials and penalise journalists who try to uncover it.

Jordan

Renewed threats against AFP bureau in Amman

"The protests against AFP in Amman have taken a disturbing turn, with the demonstrators using threats and violence," RSF said.

Jordan

CPJ calls on authorities to prevent attacks on journalists covering protests

On 15 July, security forces beat and injured 16 journalists in identifying orange vests during a demonstration and planned sit-in, including two who suffered broken bones.

Jordan

IFJ urges review of press law after minister's resignation

Former minister Taher Adwan said he opposed repressive laws being debated by Parliament and called for press freedom to enable credible political reforms.

Jordan

Offices of Agence France Presse attacked in Amman

Some 300 Jordanians demanded the bureau's closure after the release of a news report saying that the king's motorcade had been attacked during his visit to the southern governorate of Tafileh.

Jordan

CPJ condemns attack on news website

Six men raided the office of the Al-Muharrir website in Amman, threatening its staff and destroying equipment.

Jordan

Government urged to strengthen free expression on campus

The rights of students to free expression have been violated by intelligence officers and university administrations applying repressive regulations, Human Rights Watch says.

Jordan / Syria

Al-Jazeera staff threatened in Jordan; journalists detained and released in Syria

Yasser Abu Hilala, Al-Jazeera's Amman bureau chief, told CPJ that his office received death threats via telephone as well as on Facebook and email.

Jordan

Authorities urged to set independent inquiry in attacks on protesters

The investigation should include the security forces' failure to prevent violence by government supporters against protesters demanding reform, Human Rights Watch said.

Jordan

News website hacked after publishing sensitive statement

Ammon News published a joint statement by 36 powerful tribal figures calling for democratic and economic reforms and warning of civil unrest if they were not implemented quickly.

Jordan

Former parliamentary candidate arrested, detained for peaceful expression

Tahir Nassar, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the 9 November elections, was charged with "stirring up sectarian strife" in his election manifesto.

Jordan

Government yields to protests, modifies cyber crimes law

RSF continues to call for the repeal of the law as it still grants the authorities arbitrary restrictive powers.

Jordan

New law allows government to regulate online content

The penalties, which range from fines to forced labour, depend on the content posted. The authorities have invoked the need to defend the public interest and regulate the online "chaos".

Jordan

Government blocks dozens of independent news websites

Claiming that "browsing the internet is a waste of work time," the Jordanian has government blocked more than 40 independent news websites from being seen by civil servants.

Jordan

ANHRI denounces new Internet café measures

Internet café owners were ordered to install surveillance cameras and log website information and browsing data for no less than six months.

Jordan

Activist arrested, beaten after criticising minister

The arrest of Mohammed Al-Sunaid is aimed at silencing him, as he often defends labourers' rights against abuse, says ANHRI.

Jordan

Egyptian reporter held for seven hours at Amman airport

Abdel Halim Kandil was surprised when airport security officials stopped him, seized his passport and detained him without reason.

Jordan

Security court bans coverage of corruption case

The corruption allegations involve the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company and several leading national figures, according to CPJ.

Jordan

Sudanese writer and publishing house fined

The defendants were accused of "supporting Shi'ism" in a book that was published under the title, "Letters of the Sheikh Neil . . . Reviewing Islamic Thought".

Jordan

Journalist, environmental specialist to spend 15 days in jail for criticising government policy

A prosecutor has ordered Mwaffaq Mahadin and Sufian Tell to be held for criticising the Jordanian intelligence services' assistance to the US against Al-Qaeda.

Jordan

Courts extend law to curb internet freedoms

A Court of Cassation ruling empowers authorities to prosecute or impose fines on journalists, bloggers and editors for publishing online material that may be deemed offensive.

Jordan

Government closes bureaux of two Iranian satellite TV stations

RSF condemns the Jordanian government's closure of the Amman bureaux of two satellite TV stations that are funded by the Iranian government.

Jordan

Poet sentenced to one year in jail

A Jordanian court has issued a ruling sentencing Islam Samhan to one year in prison and fining him 10000 JD (approx. US$14,100).

Jordan

Court acquits well-known columnist of defaming Parliament

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn that Khaled Mahadin, a well-known columnist who writes for the government-owned "Al Rai" newspaper, has been acquitted of insulting Parliament in an article he posted on the website Khabberni on 13 February 2009, criticising the personal expenses of parliamentarians. Mahadin, aged 68, was an adviser to the late King Hussein.

Jordan

Al Jazeera bureau chief assaulted by police while covering demonstration

(AAI/IFEX) - On 9 January 2008, Yasser Abu Hilaleh, the Al Jazeera network's bureau chief in Amman, was beaten by riot police while covering a demonstration in Rabia. Abu Hilaleh, who was reporting on the protest involving clashes between demonstrators and the Gendarmerie Forces, was approached by two individuals dressed in civilian clothing who asked him to leave the scene and threatened to assault him.

Jordan

ANHRI's executive director denied entry to Jordan, detained and deported

(ANHRI/IFEX) - The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information reports that Jordanian intelligence prevented Gamal Eid, ANHRI's executive director, from entering Jordan on the night of 15 December 2008 and detained him for six hours at Amman's Alia airport before deporting him to Cairo.

Jordan

CAPSULE REPORT: Despite advances on access to information and press freedom, government's negative attitude towards the media has not changed, says AAI

(AAI/IFEX) - The following is a 6 December 2008 AAI statement:

Jordan

King says journalists should not be jailed for their work

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Jordan

Editor released on bail but still faces up to three years in jail

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders urges the state security court to withdraw its case against Fayez Al-Ajrashi, editor-in-chief of the privately owned weekly "El-Ekhbariya", who was released from Al-Juweida prison (15 km south of Amman) on 2 November 2008 after paying 3,000 dinars (approx. 3,300 euros) in bail. Al-Ajrashi is still facing charges of "inflaming sectarian strife" and "sowing national discord."

Jordan

Editor-in-chief held in detention

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 October 2008 CPJ press release:

Jordan

Journalist received death threats and imprisoned after publishing book of poems

(ANHRI/IFEX) - The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the campaign undertaken by the Jordanian Mufti and Muslim Brotherhood against journalist and poet Islam Samhan following the release of his first work of poetry, "Elegant as a Shadow," in March 2008. The Mufti has accused Samhan of apostasy because of the content of some of his poetry. Both the Mufti and the Muslim Brotherhood claim that some of the lines insult Islam. ANHRI also condemns the order issued by Jordan's public prosecutor to imprison Samhan for fifteen days while an investigation is under way.

Jordan

Public prosecutor files charges against Danish cartoonist, 10 Danish newspaper editors over prophet cartoons

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 20 June 2008 IPI letter to the Jordanian justice minister:

Jordan

Five journalists given three-month prison sentences over critical articles

(AAI/IFEX) - On 16 March 2008, in two separate legal cases, five journalists were sentenced to three months in prison by the Court of First Instance in Amman for alleged violations of the penal code.

Jordan

New restrictions on Internet cafés and violations of users' privacy

(HRinfo/IFEX) - HRinfo has denounced decisions announced by the Jordanian ministry of the interior increasing restrictions on internet cafés in Jordan, on the pretext of maintaining security, through installing cameras to monitor users of these cafés. HRinfo also emphasized that these procedures are a real retreat from freedom to use the Internet and the right to exchange information.

Jordan

Ex-legislator sentenced to two years in prison for online criticism of government corruption

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is outraged by the two-year prison sentence imposed by a state security court on 9 October 2007 on former parliamentarian Ahmad Oweidi Abbadi, for "attacking the state's prestige and reputation" by criticising government corruption on his party's website.

Jordan

Jailed dissident denied bail

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 28 September 2007 Human Rights Watch press release:

Jordan

Press law extended to online publications

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has criticized the government's extension of the press law to cover online publications as "damaging to the freedom of expression that the Internet ensures in a country such as Jordan, where the media is tightly controlled." It called for the measure to be cancelled.

Jordan

Charges against former parliamentarian demonstrate government's continued efforts to silence critics despite new law prohibiting imprisonment for speech offences, notes Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 22 May 2007 Human Rights Watch press release:

Jordan

Ex-parliamentarian arrested for criticising government corruption in Internet letter

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the 3 May 2007 arrest of former Jordanian parliamentarian Ahmad Oweidi Abbadi after he accused King Abdallah's government of corruption in an open letter to US Senator Harry Reid, which he posted on the Internet.

Jordan

CAPSULE REPORT: Prior censorship must be abolished, says ARTICLE 19

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 4 May 2007 ARTICLE 19 press release:

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