Jordanian authorities persecute and harass citizens organizing peacefully and engaging in political dissent, Human Rights Watch said Sunday, following an investigation of dozens of cases over the last four years.
HRW says that Jordanian authorities use vague and abusive laws that criminalize speech, association and assembly. According to the organization, the authorities detain, interrogate, and harass journalists, political activists, and members of political parties and independent trade unions, and their family members, and restrict their access to basic rights, such as work and travel, to quash political dissent.
“There is an urgent need to address the downward spiral on rights we are seeing in Jordan today,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “‘Maintaining stability’ can never be a justification for abusing people’s rights and closing space that every society needs.”
HRW based its findings on an investigation of 30 cases between 2019 and 2022 as well as responses to a survey on experiences with law enforcement agencies from 42 Jordanian activists.