Freedom of expression ‘restricted’ in Jordan, women still discriminated against, Amnesty says

AMMAN — An international human rights report on Wednesday criticised the lack of freedom of expression in Jordan, describing it as “restricted”, while lambasting discriminatory laws against women, including the sexual exploitation of Syrian refugees and allowing rapists to marry child victims.

Amnesty International’s 2016-2017 report said the Jordanian authorities restrict freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and have detained or prosecuted dozens of journalists and critics under the criminal defamation provisions of the Penal Code, as well as using anti-terrorism law provisions that criminalise criticism of foreign leaders or states.

The annual report on “The State of the World’s Human Rights”, said that last July, the National Centre for Human Rights reported an increase in arrests and State Security Court referrals of peaceful critics and protesters under these laws.

“Draft amendments to the societies law proposed [last] March, if implemented, would increase government powers to prevent the legal registration of NGOs or their operations on national security or public order grounds, and would deny them access to international funding without any justification,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the watchdog also severely criticised “legally-enshrined” discrimination against women in Jordan.

“Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice, and were inadequately protected against so-called honour crimes and other forms of gender-based violence,” the report said.

Citing examples, Amnesty International noted that in April, a parliamentary legal committee endorsed proposed amendments to Article 308 of the Penal Code that would scrap the provision allowing rapists to avoid prosecution if they marry their victims. “However, it would keep the provision when the victim is aged between 15 and 18,” the organisation explained.

According to the report, in July last year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women requested information from the government ahead of its scheduled 2017 review of Jordan. 

Among other queries, it requested details of any government plans to amend the Citizenship Law to allow Jordanian women married to foreign spouses to pass their nationality to their children and husbands, on the same basis as Jordanian men, and to allow their families increased access to medical care, education and other services. 

Also in its report, Amnesty International said migrant workers continue to face exploitation and abuse in Jordan.

The UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons reported during a visit to Jordan that migrant women, who are employed as domestic helpers and who have fled abusive employers, were at risk of trafficking for sexual exploitation, the report said. 

It added that the Special Rapporteur also reported that refugee women and girls from Syria were trafficked for sexual exploitation.