The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) believes that the authorities in Jordan continue to systematically target freedom of expression online and offline, and directly target writers and journalists, which exposes the civil and human rights of citizens to imminent risk.

Writer Khaled Turki Al-Majali

On 29 August 2023, the Amman Criminal Court decided to reject the request to replace the prison sentence with a fine against the writer Khaled Turki Al-Majali, for the sixth time in a row, despite the fact that his defense team had submitted medical reports about his health condition, which requires special care.

The security forces had arrested him at dawn on 26 July 2023, after the Amman Criminal Court, in its appeal capacity, decided to convict him of an alleged charge of defaming an official body, and sentenced him to three months in prison in accordance with Article (191) of the Jordanian Penal Code and in the context of Article (15) of the old cybercrime law.

The court committed a flagrant violation of the text and implications of Article (264/2) of the Jordanian Code of Criminal Procedure, which included depriving the defendant of a basic defense guarantee, which was represented in issuing a conviction without the presence of the defense team.

Al-Majali is a well-known writer who strongly opposed the new Cybercrime law ratified by King Abdullah II on 12 August 2023. He is a political activist, member of the Partnership and Rescue Party, and publisher of the All Jordan website.

Journalist Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi

In another separate case, on 16 August 2023, the defense team of journalist Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi submitted a request to the Minister of Justice to use his powers to issue a written order to the Chief Public Prosecutor to appeal the one-year prison sentence issued against him before the Court of Cassation, according to the text of Article (291/1) of the Jordanian Code of Criminal Procedure that grants him that power.

The defense team is still awaiting a response from the Minister of Justice to this request.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the Jordanian authorities to:

1. Release writer Khaled Turki Al-Majali immediately and without any conditions, and stop targeting journalist Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi;
2. Respect and not restrict freedom of expression and opinion, and allow Internet activists to use cyberspace without restricting their activities, as stipulated in Article 15 of the Jordanian Constitution;
3. Respect Jordan’s international commitments to international conventions that guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, foremost of which is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and
4. Fulfil its constitutional duties, represented in protecting the civil and human rights of citizens, by suspending the implementation of the Anti-Cybercrime Law, and working to protect freedom of expression online and offline.