The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) declares its full solidarity with journalist Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi, who has been sentenced to one year in prison in violation of his right to freedom of expression, and authorities continue to target him.

On 21 September 2023, the Jordanian Minister of Justice rejected the defense team’s request to review the one-year prison sentence issued against Al-Zoubi.

On 16 August 2023, his defense team 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.

Reliable sources confirmed to GCHR that the defense team will submit a new similar request to the Director of Administrative Prosecutions.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the Jordanian authorities to:

1. Revoke the one-year prison sentence issued against journalist Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi and immediately stop targeting him;
2. Respect and do 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 their 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.