Articles for Jordan

Arrested on 19 May 2017 for a Facebook post criticising corruption within the Jordanian government and charged with “defamation on social media”, Hussam Al Abdallat is at risk of being sentenced to prison terms for merely having exercised his right to freedom of expression.

During its last session held in November 2016, the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) reaccredited the Jordanian National Centre for Human Rights (JNCHR) – the country’s National Human Rights Institu

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has recently released its Opinion on the case of Adam Al Natour, a 21-year-old Polish and Jordanian student who was sentenced to four years of imprisonment by the State Security Court after a flawed trial during which confessions he was forced to sign under torture were used against him.

Ten years ago, on 1 November 2006, Jordan enacted the "Prevention of Terrorism Act", in response to the 2005 hotel bombings in Amman that left 60 people dead. In 2014, faced with threats stemming from the spillover of the Syrian war, the law was amended and broadened to include nonviolent acts, in an attempt to legitimise the government's crackdown on peaceful expression and assembly. Journalists, political opponents, freedom of expression advocates and human rights defenders have since been put to trial under the pretext of "terrorism".

On 29 June 2016, Abdulmalik Mohammad Yousef Abdelsalam, 26-year-old Jordanian university student, was released from the premises of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) in Amman after having been secretly detained for four months, his family being kept unaware of his fate and whereabouts.

On 26 September 2016, Hatem Al Darawsheh, a 19-year-old Jordanian high school student, will face trial before the State Security Court for his alleged “support to a terrorist organisation”, based on statements extracted under torture during his interrogation by officers of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).

On 6 September 2016, Amjad Qourshah was released from Jweida prison after almost three months of detention without due process. Concerned over the fact that Qourshah was held in detention solely for having criticized Jordan's participation to the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) lead by the USA.

On 13 June 2016, Amjad Qourshah, 48-year old assistant professor in comparative religions at the University of Jordan and famous presenter in TV and radio shows, was arrested for "disturbing relations with a foreign country" for having posted a video online about two years ago criticising the participation of Jordan to the international coalition led by the USA against the Islamic State (IS).

On 15 February 2016, 21 year-old student Adam Al Natour, a Polish and Jordanian binational, was sentenced to four years in prison by the State Security Court after a flawed trial during which confessions he was forced to sign under torture were used against him.

On 17 May 2016, Professor Eyad Qunaibi was released from Muwaqqar II prison where he was detained for "incitement against the political regime," for a having published a Facebook post criticising, among others, his country's ties with Israel and the "westernisation of Jordanian society".