Jordan - Latest Publications

JOR - News

Jordan: Professor Charged With "Incitement Against the Political Regime" for a Facebook Post

JOR - News | 28 August 2015

On 27 August 2015, Alkarama brought a second time before the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) the case of Eyad Qunaibi, professor and political critic charged with "incitement against the political regime" for having published an article on Facebook in which he criticised Jordan's ties with Israel, the Jordanian King as well as the "westernisation" of society.

Jordan: National Human Rights Institution Lacks Necessary Independence from the Executive to Perform its Role

JOR - News | 14 August 2015

On 16 July 2015, Alkarama submitted a report to the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC-NHRI) on the Jordanian National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), which will be reviewed at the SCA's next session in November 2015. Pointing out to its lack of independence from the Jordanian King and government, Alkarama solicited the SCA to downgrade the Centre's status from "A" to "B" as to indicate its lack of compliance with the Paris Principles, the international standards relating to NHRIs aiming to ensure their independence from the government and effective promotion and protection of human rights.

Jordan: Eyad Qunaibi, Detained For Seven Weeks for a Facebook Article, Risks Trial before the State Security Court for "incitement against the political regime"

JOR - News | 07 August 2015

On 3 August 2015, Alkarama sent an urgent action to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the case of Eyad Qunaibi, a 40-year-old pharmacology professor who is known for being a prominent political critic, particularly active on social media. He hes been detained in solitary confinement since 15 June 2015 for having published an article on Facebook criticising Jordan's ties with Israel, the Jordanian King as well as the "westernisation" of society. After seven weeks of detention, Qunaibi has still not been brought before a judge and is likely to face trial before the State Security Court (SSC) simply for having exercised his right to freedom of expression.

Jordan: Release of 2 Activists Charged with "Insulting the King" for Participating in Peaceful Demonstration against Charlie Hebdo's Cartoon

JOR - News | 05 June 2015

On 27 May 2015, the same day that he was charged with "criticising or insulting the King" for taking part in a peaceful demonstration against Charlie Hebdo's front-page cartoon and subsequently sentenced to five months imprisonment, the social rights activist Bassem Al Rawabedah was released. Arrested in January 2015 – two days after the arrest of Thabet Assaf, another member of the Islamic Jordanian Youth Movement, a group advocating for social and political reforms – Al Rawabedah had been transferred to the General Intelligence Services together with Assaf where they were detained incommunicado in solitary confinement for two weeks. Both were then tried before the State Security Court, a special court used to try the military, and Assaf was released on bail the day of his sentencing to three months in prison on 26 March 2015. Today, notwithstanding the two activists' releases, Alkarama still calls on the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to denounce their abusive and arbitrary detention.

Jordan: Arbitrary Detention of Two Activists for Participating in Peaceful Demonstration

JOR - News | 28 April 2015

On 24 April 2015, Alkarama sent a request for Opinion to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the arbitrary detention of two Jordanian citizens, Bassem Al Rawabedah and Thabet Assaf, arrested for having organised and participated in a peaceful demonstration against the French journal Charlie Hebdo's cartoons, on 16 January 2015. Both men were arrested by the Preventive Security Services, a force under the control of the Public Security Directorate and subsequently handed over to the General Intelligence Services.

Jordan - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Ratified on 28.05.1975
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Due on 29.10.2014 (5th)
Last concluding observations: 18.11.2010

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 13.11.1991
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

Last State report: 19.08.2014 (3rd)
Last concluding observations: 25.05.2010

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: October 2013 (2nd cycle)
Next review: N/A

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) – Status A

Last review: 10.2010
Next review: 11.2015