New York, March 20, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
is alarmed by increasing state restrictions on the press in Jordan, including
the detention of some journalists and the harassment of others by security
agents.
On March 17, a State Security Court prosecutor imposed a 15-day detention
on Hashem Khalidi, editor of the weekly newspaper Al-Bilad. Khalidi
is being investigated on charges of publishing "false information" and
harming the "honor or reputation of the government and its officials."
The charges are based on an article that Khalidi published under his own
byline alleging that unnamed officials with close personal connections
to the insurance industry would benefit from a recent government decision
to increase mandatory insurance rates on vehicles.
After the article appeared, Khalidi received a call
from Prime Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb, who complained about the article
and warned Khalidi that he could expect to be the subject of a criminal
investigation, according to sources at Al-Bilad.
Sources at the paper told CPJ that authorities have agreed to accept
bail, and that they expect Khalidi to be released by tomorrow.
On March 18, Al-Bilad's owner, Tajeddin Hroub, was detained overnight
for questioning in connection with Khalidi's article.
Under harsh new Penal Code amendments adopted last fall, both men face
prison terms of three to six months and fines of 5,000 Jordanian dinars
(about US$7,000) if charged and convicted.
In a separate incident, former member of Parliament Toujan Faisal was
detained on March 16 on the charge of "publishing materials deemed harmful
to the country's reputation and that of its citizens," her lawyer told
CPJ. The charge stemmed from an open letter to King Abdullah accusing
government officials of corruption that was published in the Houston-based,
Arabic-language online newspaper Arab Times.
Faisal had also criticized the Jordanian judiciary during appearances
on regional television stations, according to The Jordan Times.
Faisal is reportedly on a hunger strike to protest her detention.
"In order for a free press to thrive, all Jordanians must be free to express
their opinions, even those that happen to embarrass government officials,"
said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "We call on Jordanian authorities
to release Khalidi and Faisal immediately."
These detentions follow several troubling incidents in which Jordanian
authorities have harassed working journalists in response to their coverage
of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other local issues. CPJ protested
these incidents in a March 5 letter to King Abdullah.
BACKGROUND
• On March 10, security forces confiscated the camera equipment
of journalists working with APTN, Reuters TV, and Abu Dhabi TV after they
filmed a pro-Palestinian rally at Jordan University. The cameras were
returned without the tapes approximately 45 minutes later.
• On March 5, Jordanian authorities confiscated Reuters footage
of pro-Palestinian students demonstrating at Jordan University from a
Reuters crew. Earlier that day, state-run Jordan TV (JTV) barred Reuters
TV, Associated Press Television News (APTN), and Al-Jazeera from using
its facilities to transmit footage of the demonstrations.
• On March 3, the State Security Court banned the publication
of the March 4 issue of the weekly Al-Majd unless the paper's management
agreed to remove two articles about alleged government corruption.
• On January 13, a State Security Court prosecutor in Amman
summoned Al-Majd editor Fahd al-Rimawi and accused him of publishing
"false information." He was subsequently ordered detained for 15 days
for questioning.
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