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Articles - Jordan

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Jordan

Cyber crime law attacks free expression; Internet cafés monitored

Jordanian authorities are attacking Internet freedom on all fronts. On 3 August they decreed a provisional cyber crime law, setting up a legislative arsenal to regulate the Internet and punish those critical of the state, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The law gives authorities sweeping powers to limit the flow of information and control debate prior to presidential elections in November. The government also recently blocked dozens of independent news sites and ordered Internet café owners to install surveillance cameras, reports the Arabic Network for Human Rights (ANHRI).

Jordan

LA LOI SUR LA PRESSE EST MODIFIÉE POUR EN ÉLIMINER LES PEINES D'INCARCÉRATION

Jordan

ENMIENDAN LEY DE PRENSA PARA ANULAR PENAS DE CÁRCEL

Jordan

PRESS LAW AMENDED TO SCRAP CUSTODIAL SENTENCES

The Jordan Parliament voted on 21 March to scrap a clause of the newly approved press and publications law, which calls for the imprisonment of journalists, reports the Arab Archives Institute (AAI).

Jordan

L'INSTITUT DES ARCHIVES ARABES PUBLIE UN RAPPORT SUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION EN JORDANIE

Jordan

ARAB ARCHIVES INSTITUTE (INSTITUTO DE ARCHIVOS ÁRABES, AAI) EMITE INFORME SOBRE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Jordan

ARAB ARCHIVES INSTITUTE ISSUES REPORT ON FREE EXPRESSION IN JORDAN

In Jordan, 2006 saw "noticeable progress" in the press industry with the emergence of new publications and broadcasting stations, says the Arab Archives Institute (AAI) in its annual report on freedom of expression.

Jordan

LEYES REPRESIVAS SILENCIAN A VOCES CRÍTICAS

Jordan

DES LOIS RÉPRESSIVES FONT TAIRE LES VOIX CRITIQUES

Jordan

REPRESSIVE LAWS SILENCE CRITICAL VOICES

Civilian and military prosecutors have been using outdated laws to file charges against prominent critics of the authorities, says Human Rights Watch. The organisation has documented six cases in 2006 in which unjustified charges threatened freedom of expression.

Jordan

PROYECTO DE LEY NO CUMPLE NORMAS INTERNACIONALES

Jordan

DES PROJETS DE LOIS QUI NE RÉPONDENT PAS AUX NORMES INTERNATIONALES

Jordan

DRAFT LAWS FALL SHORT OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

In Jordan, proposed laws aimed ostensibly at improving press freedom and access to information fall short of meeting international standards on freedom of expression, according to ARTICLE 19 and the Arab Archives Institute (AAI).

Jordan

REFORMA NECESARIA EN LEYES DE MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN: INFORME DE EMHRN

Jordan

IL FAUT RÉFORMER LA LOI SUR LES MÉDIAS, DIT UN RAPPORT DU REMDH

Jordan

MEDIA LAWS NEED REFORM: EMHRN REPORT

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) has issued a report calling on the government of Jordan to repeal laws restricting press freedom and initiate a dialogue with human rights organisations on the role of the press. "Press Freedoms in Jordan" is a follow-up to EMHRN's 1998 report criticising the government's restrictive Press and Publications Law. ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) acted as consultants for the report.

Jordan

CAMBIOS AL CÓDIGO PENAL AMENAZAN LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Jordan

MODIFICATIONS AU CODE PÉNAL CONSTITUENT UNE MENACE POUR LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Jordan

CHANGES TO PENAL CODE A THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM

In the wake of the 11 September attacks on the United States, the government of Jordan last week approved amendments to the Penal Code to combat terrorism, arguing that they were aimed at preventing some of the country's 14 weekly publications from publishing "lies and sensational stories" against the government, reports the "Jordan Times." However, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF), these sweeping amendments indiscriminately target all publications and "seriously threaten press freedom."

Jordan

PÉNIBLEMENT, VERS UNE PRESSE LIBRE

Jordan

AVANCES VACILANTES HACIA PRENSA LIBRE

Jordan

MOVING HALTINGLY TOWARD FREE PRESS

Despite political reform introduced by the late King Hussein at the start of this decade, the question of how much freedom of the press the government of Jordan is prepared to permit remains, writes Fadi Al-Qadi in "IPI Report" (First Quarter 1999). Al-Qadi describes how Jordanian media have traditionally faced censorship, citing as examples the fact that the government is the majority shareholder in "Al-R'ai" and "Al-Dustor", the country's largest daily newspapers, as well as the owner-regulator of Jordan's only broadcasting entity.

Jordan

ESTUDIO CONDENA LEY DE PRENSA

Jordan

UNE ÉTUDE CONDAMNE LA LOI SUR LA PRESSE

Jordan

STUDY CONDEMNS PRESS LAW

A law ratified in September in Jordan is an assault on the press, according to a new study, "A dark year for democracy in Jordan: The 1998 Press and Publications Law". The study, prepared by Jordanian journalist Sa'eda Kilani, was jointly published by ARTICLE 19, the Centre for Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Euro-Mediterranean Rights Network (EMRN), the International Federation of Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Under the law, "writing about the king, the army, legal proceedings, the call for illegal strikes and demonstrations, etc. is subject to severe restrictions; strict controls are imposed on the import of foreign publications;" and "media can be indefinitely closed if accused of breaching 'public security or the interests of the state,' vague terms which can be subject to wide interpretation by the authorities." The study urges Jordanian authorities "to repeal this law and adopt a text which would clearly delineate press law violations and guarantee newspapers' freedom from interference by authorities."