Indicator

Process

Public Meetings Law of 2001

It requires obtaining a prior written approval from the Administrative Governor to organize meetings or demonstrations. The former Jordanian law of 1953 demanded only sending notice to the Administrative Governor.

State Security Court Law of 2001

Consideration of any case, which has expanded its powers. It also abolished the right to appeal in the case of misdemeanours, which confiscates the right to challenge the court decision. Additionally, it gave the Attorney General the right to arrest the accused for up to two months without a trial.

Penal Code of 2001

Loose provisions on and definitions of “Terrorism”, consequently compromising the press freedom and freedom of expression, in addition to restoring jail punishment for journalists and closing newspapers, in line with the Press and Publication Law of 1997 amended by the 1998 law.

Provisional Laws

In absence of the House of Representatives, the number of provisional laws from 2001 to 2003 was about 213. The proceedings of the 12 lawsuits filed to refute these laws before the Supreme Court of Justice were discontinued. In addition, the Jordanian Society for Human Rights was dissolved, three engineers were arrested and the female activist Toujan Faisal was sentenced to three years in prison.

Situation of civil and political rights throughout the period 2004-2016

The establishment of the Higher Media Council pursuant to Law No. 26 of 2004, which expanded its powers to include the consideration of complaints against media representatives and enforced the civilian criminal responsibility on crimes related to publishing and the inadmissibility of the imprisonment of journalists and the right of access to information.

Trade Unions Bill 2005, which restricted the scope of the union work.

Press and Publications Law amendment, including the abolition of punishments of imprisonment and detention in publications offences, and forwarding the draft law of the right to access information.

Promulgation of the National Centre for Human Rights Law No. 51 of 2006, whereby the Government ratified five conventions on human rights in 2006, such as the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in addition to upholding the decision to ratify Convention on the Elimination to All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

Promulgation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Anti-Corruption Law under which Anti-Corruption Commission was established in 2007, the Press and Publications Law draft, Political Parties Law, the Financial Disclosure Law draft and amending Article 3-8 of the Penal Code, where the penalty of imprisonment was increased from three months to six months, and banning the use of discretionary extenuating reason.

The Right of Access to Information Law was approved, alongside the amendment of the Press and Publications Law, after permitting arresting journalists and lifting prior censorship of publications, while upholding the need for obtaining prior license as a prerequisite to issuing publications, permitting the Government to hold shares in the newspapers, and amendment of the Municipal Law for the election of mayors and raising the female quota to 20%.

Increased number of arrests after Jordan had joined the War Against Terrorism, which resulted in the arrest of the Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood Zaki Bany Irsheid and other leaders, in addition to requiring registration and licensing of the news websites.

Constitutional amendments, including:

The appointment of the Army Commander, Head of Intelligence, Gendarmerie Commander, Chairperson and members of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Judicial Court and the Senate, in addition to defining the Parliament Spokesperson’s term as having two-year duration [24] .