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Dadparvar
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) Monday reported that authorities in Jordan use vague laws to criminalise key civil freedoms like the freedoms of speech, association and assembly in an effort to quash political dissent. HRW investigated a total of 30 cases and found evidence that authorities are use abusive legal frameworks to charge citizens who peacefully express political opinions.
According to HRW, Jordan authorities are abusing provisions of the Penal Code of 1960, the Cybercrime Law of 2015, the Anti-terrorism Law of 2006 and the Crime Prevention Law of 1954. For example, authorities use the criminal defamation provisions of the Penal Code to prosecute citizens who “broadcast fake or exaggerated news that would undermine the prestige of the state.” According to the organization, this “gives authorities significant leeway to pursue charges without any clear connection to criminal wrongdoing.”
HRW also pointed to the Counterterrorism Law’s overly broad definition of “terrorist act,” which has resulted in the arrest of over 300 people since November 14, 2021. The State Security Court, a special military court, tries these cases, but the military judges do not meet international standards of impartiality. Therefore, HRW believes the prosecutions contradict international law
According to the report, the coronavirus pandemic further exacerbated this issue, and the state of emergency enacted in 2020 was used to quash dissent under the Defence Law of 1992. In its report, HRW called on Jordan’s parliament to immediately amend problematic provisions in the aforementioned legislation and align with international standards.
The post Jordan authorities criminalize free expression with vague and abusive laws, HRW reports appeared first on JURIST - News.
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According to HRW, Jordan authorities are abusing provisions of the Penal Code of 1960, the Cybercrime Law of 2015, the Anti-terrorism Law of 2006 and the Crime Prevention Law of 1954. For example, authorities use the criminal defamation provisions of the Penal Code to prosecute citizens who “broadcast fake or exaggerated news that would undermine the prestige of the state.” According to the organization, this “gives authorities significant leeway to pursue charges without any clear connection to criminal wrongdoing.”
HRW also pointed to the Counterterrorism Law’s overly broad definition of “terrorist act,” which has resulted in the arrest of over 300 people since November 14, 2021. The State Security Court, a special military court, tries these cases, but the military judges do not meet international standards of impartiality. Therefore, HRW believes the prosecutions contradict international law
According to the report, the coronavirus pandemic further exacerbated this issue, and the state of emergency enacted in 2020 was used to quash dissent under the Defence Law of 1992. In its report, HRW called on Jordan’s parliament to immediately amend problematic provisions in the aforementioned legislation and align with international standards.
The post Jordan authorities criminalize free expression with vague and abusive laws, HRW reports appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.