AMMAN — Several journalists and media professionals
denounced the arrest of journalists in connection with
cybercrime cases,
describing the recent detention of a journalist at the airport upon arrival in
Jordan as a systematic campaign aimed at intimidating the “journalistic body.”
اضافة اعلان
Media
professionals demanded a review of Article 11 of the 2015 Cybercrime Law, which
states: “Anyone who intentionally sends, resends, or publishes data or
information through the information network or the website or any information
system that involves defamation, slander, or humiliation of any person, shall
be imprisoned for a period of no less than three months and pay a fine of no
less than JD100 and not more than JD2000.”
Jordan Press Association (JPA) Vice President Jamal Shteiwi said this article must be
amended because it limits freedom of expression, noting that arrests are
usually made based on this article.
Shteiwi decried the law and called for amending it because it “seeks to
silence”, contrary to what the Jordanian Constitution advocates.
He said that the
JPA has sent a memorandum to government authorities demanding an amendment to
the law and asking for a clear and fixed basis, other than the law, for the
prosecution of journalists. “Arrest is a
penalty imposed in advance before the appearance in court,” he said.
Founder and
Director of the
Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) Nidal
Mansour said that this law justifies the imprisonment or arrest of journalists
and users of social media sites, adding that “the legislative environment in
Jordan has become a tool for restricting the freedom of expression.”
Mansour said that
there is a need for a review of the legislative environment to align with
international standards of media freedoms, as well as a review of international
treaties and conventions that Jordan is signatory to. In this regard, he noted that a committee,
formed by the
Council of Ministers three years ago, was tasked with reviewing
articles of the Constitution in relation to signed treaties, but “the committee
has only met once since then and has done nothing.”
According to
Mansour, the CDFJ has provided governments with a review of restrictive laws,
starting with the Press and Publications Law and the Right to Information Law,
describing the later as a “reactionary” law that does not guarantee the right
of journalists to obtain any information. On the contrary, he said “information
is kept confidential and legally obscured”.
Other laws that need to be reviewed, according to Mansour, are the
Anti-Terrorism Law, the Penal Code, and the State Secrets Documents Law.
“We have a package of
legislation that restricts freedoms of the media, and the arrest of last week
was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Mansour, adding that it showed
the extent to which Article 11 can justify the arrest of a journalist because
of an expressed opinion or a post on social media. “These are flawed measures that are harmful
to Jordan’s reputation,” he said.
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