By Linda Hindi

AMMAN - The government on Tuesday rejected a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Jordan as “highly inaccurate and full of wrong information”.

The report by the US-based group, titled "Double Jeopardy: CIA Renditions to Jordan", alleges that the General Intelligence Department (GID) served as a proxy jailer and interrogator for the CIA from 2001 until at least 2004, according to the HRW statement.

The rights group claims that the GID has systematically used torture and “cruel or inhuman treatment against the detainees rendered by the CIA to Jordan”.

A statement by Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nasser Judeh, an English copy of which was e-mailed to The Jordan Times, said the international report repeats “allegations made in earlier reports by the organisation. It is based on allegations and assumptions that are far from objective to arrive at conclusions that are neither dependable nor convincing”.

The HRW said it based its report on personal testimonies of terror suspects arrested and interrogated by the security service.

“Using these individual allegations, the report contains accusations of torture. Jordan is signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,” Judeh said in the statement.

He explained that the Jordanian law criminalises torture, noting that the Kingdom has amended the Penal Code to include stricter penalties in cases where the practice of torture has been proved. Besides, “all correctional facilities are publicly known and are governed by the Law on Correctional and Reform Centres. Similar facilities under the General Intelligence Department receive regular visits by delegations from the International Red Cross, as well as other international and human rights organisations. There are no secret detention facilities”.

An Amnesty International report released in 2006 also alleged Jordan is a "central hub" of secret detention facilities as part of the US-led rendition programme.

Judeh said: “Jordan has been the target of a deliberate and calculated campaign by terrorist organisations to undermine the country's efforts at combating terror. They train their members to offer false information that makes its way to human rights organisations.”

He concluded: “The government of Jordan hopes that, in future, such reports, especially those by Human Rights Watch, be based on objective and accurate data and not rely just on individual information as the undisputed facts.”

“The government has been extremely forthcoming with these organisations, responding to all their queries and requests with transparency and openness. This is attested to by the periodic meetings that continue to take place between their representatives and Jordanian political and security officials. Representatives of Human Rights Watch alone have held numerous meetings with key security figures in Jordan over a period of time. Moreover, a delegation of this organisation is currently in Jordan to follow discussions with the Public Security Department on other issues related to human rights.”