AMMAN — Extraordinary
measures taken by states globally to slow the transmission of
COVID-19, including
such extreme measures as imposing extensive lockdowns and restricting freedom
of movement have led — in the process — to unintended consequences that limited
people’s freedom to enjoy many other human rights.
اضافة اعلان
The impact of
COVID-19 restrictions however was pre-eminently felt in countries that generally
don’t score high on the human rights index, like Jordan, where there are, to
date, a total of 35 enacted defense orders, chiefly affecting Jordanians and
residents’ freedom of movement and expression.
The impact of the
defense orders had Jordan fall back on the
Economist Group’s Democracy Index by
four points, scoring 3.62 on the scale of 10. The index calculates several
sub-indicators, such as the electoral system, political pluralism, government
performance, political participation, and the political environment, among
others.
Alaa Armouti, commissioner
general of the
National Center for Human Rights told
Jordan News the Jordan’s
losing points on the index in light of the defense orders was not unexpected. In
the first 45 days of the pandemic; during lockdowns and curfews, defense measures
were not particularly considerate of certain emergency situations, like
hospital visits, court procedures, and detentions by law enforcement officers.
“We at the NCHR
believe that many of the restrictions were not warranted,” Armouti said.
The NCHR has
harshly criticized the impact of the defense orders on freedom of expression
and press, when peaceful protests and gatherings were banned, “despite the fact
that those freedoms are protected rights under the Constitution,” Armouti said,
adding that the Interior Ministry was the party to ban gatherings, rather than
just observe the protest and make sure that the participants follow social
distancing instructions.
The defense orders
also imposed restrictions on the meetings of political parties and unions, but
not on tribesmen meetings; postponed union elections but allowed parliamentary
elections, according to Armouti.
Armouti said that Jordan
must respect all signed human rights treaties and conventions, and should
commit to the rights of citizens that are protected under the Constitution.
“We have to
realize that preserving human rights does not overlap with national security.
Human rights have to be positioned at the core of national security. It should
not be manipulated or dismissed,” Armouti said. The status quo will negatively
impact the economy since it depends on foreign aid, and donor countries are concerned
about human right scores, he added.
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