AMMAN —
Journalists and human rights
activists have renewed calls to limit the number of gag orders imposed on media
outlets, especially with regard to cases that concern public opinion, according
to Al-Mamlaka TV.
اضافة اعلان
Since the beginning of this year, the public
prosecutor has issued gag orders in four separate cases, justifying his
decision by the need “to preserve the integrity of the investigation and
preserve the public interest”.
Lawmakers have increased the penalty for those who
violate the ban by replacing the fine of JD5 to JD25 with three months in
prison for anyone who violates Article 225 of the Penal Code.
A specialist in media laws, Yahya Shukair, said that
news about crimes and dignitaries are hot topics in demand by the public. He
urged the government and lawmakers to strike a balance between the right to
inform the public and serving justice.
Shukair added that in some cases, a total ban to
publish could do more harm than benefit, by creating an environment fertile for
rumors, especially on social media platforms where no one follows the ethics of
the journalistic profession.
“The stage of investigation, inference, and evidence
gathering is a confidential process in all countries of the world,” Shukair
said.
He added that there are four laws in Jordan that
regulate publication of news, including the
Press and Publications Law, which
makes clear that “publication is prohibited during the investigation stage,
unless the public prosecutor lifts the ban”.
He called on public prosecutors to provide
journalists with a briefing every two days because this is in the public interest.
“When the case moves to the stage of reading the
indictment, the publication ban end and the trial becomes public according to
Article 101 of the
Jordanian Constitution,” Shukair said. “Publishing court
minutes and witnesses statements, is permissible, if the court does not decide
against it in order to preserve the rights of the individual, the family and
public order,” he added noting that the Press and Publications Law applies to
licensed newspapers and websites, while the Penal Code applies to everyone.
Member of the Jordan Press Association Council
Khaled Al-Qudah told Al-Mamlaka TV that “the first to pay the price in gag
order decisions is society by depriving it of information, and journalists by
depriving them of their role to inform the public and influence public opinion
through trusted and reliable information.”
Acting commissioner at the National Center for Human
Rights Nahla Momani told Al-Mamlaka TV that “the expansion of gag orders
decisions affects the right of people to access information either through the
media or as individuals.” She added that gag orders that are unjustified push
people to listen to and circulate rumors or resort to external sources to
obtain the information.
Muhammad Qutaishat, who is a lawyer specializing in publication
cases, pointed out that “the publication ban during investigations conducted in
general is a confirmation of the state of confidentiality imposed by law.
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