AMMAN —
The Coordination Committee for Civil Society Organizations (Himam) said that
recent measures taken by the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) undermine
its independence, limit its role in combating human rights violations, and
intimidate activists and defenders, AmmanNet reported Saturday.
اضافة اعلان
In a statement, Himam described last week’s
decision to detain lawyer Nisreen Zureikat, who is a commissioner at the
center, and another administrator, as a form of punishment that contravenes an
individual’s the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Himam expressed its regret and concern after
following up on the latest developments in Zureikat’s case, which culminated in
the issuance of an arrest warrant against her. Zureikat is a human rights
defender who is a highly respected public figure and who was honored by the UN
as an exceptional human rights defender. She and a member of the center’s
administrative staff were charged by the Public Prosecutor for allegedly
receiving money while they were involved in a legal aid project funded by the
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. It is claimed that
the disbursement of the honorariums was based on a decision by the NCHR
Commissioner-General Alaa Al-Armouti, as permitted by its internal bylaw.
Armouti was not detained but was prevented from travelling.
Himam described what happened as unjustified
procedures after the NCHR’s chairman referred the file to the Public
Prosecutor.
It said that the decision was taken despite
the fact that an investigation committee that was formed by the Board of
Trustees had not completed its work, nor were those accused of the alleged acts
allowed to submit a defense.
Himam reiterated that what happened to
Zureikat and her colleague is part of a campaign aimed at undermining the
independence of the role of NCHR and to dissuade its workers from their mission
of defending rights and freedoms.
It affirmed its confidence in the Jordanian
judiciary.
Himam announced its rejection of the pre-trial
detentions and warned of its repercussions and impact on workers in the field
of monitoring human rights violations in particular.
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