JORDAN: NEW CYBERCRIMES LAW STIFLING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONE YEAR ON

On 13 August 2023, Jordan enacted a new Cybercrimes Law that introduced major amendments to its existing 2015 Cybercrimes Law, expanding the scope of the offenses and extending powers which allow the public prosecutor to initiate the prosecution of individuals without a personal complaint when the offense is related to governmental figures or entities

Jordanian authorities are weaponizing the new Cybercrimes Law to target and harass journalists, activists and others for expressing opinions online that are critical of government policies and practices, Amnesty International said today, marking one year since the law’s adoption.

On 13 August 2023, Jordan enacted a new Cybercrimes Law that introduced major amendments to its existing 2015 Cybercrimes Law, expanding the scope of the offenses and extending powers which allow the public prosecutor to initiate the prosecution of individuals without a personal complaint when the offense is related to governmental figures or entities. The law introduces harsh penalties for overly broad and vaguely defined offenses such as “spreading fake news,” “provoking strife,” “threatening societal peace,” and “contempt for religions,” which have been used to criminalize forms of expression protected under international law.

Amnesty International has documented the cases of 15 individuals who were prosecuted under the new law after criticizing the authorities online. In all these cases, the authorities violated the defendants’ rights including by arresting them without a warrant, failing to inform them of the reasons for their summons or the charges against them, questioning them without a lawyer and using psychological coercion and intimidating tactics during their interrogation or trial.

“Under the pretext of protecting the digital space, Jordanian authorities have escalated their blatant assault on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the country, using overly broad provisions. They have particularly targeted recent pro-Palestine activism and criticism of government policies towards Israel. This sweeping crackdown has stifled the already small space for dissent in Jordan and created an environment of self-censorship,” said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Jordanian authorities must repeal or substantially amend the Cybercrimes Law to bring it in line with international human rights law and standards. Criticism of the government’s policies and actions are legitimate forms of expression that should not be criminalized. Jordan must immediately drop all charges against individuals being investigated or prosecuted solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression.”

Cybercrimes Law instrumentalized to silence critics

Between August 2023 and August 2024, Jordanian authorities charged hundreds under the Cybercrimes Law for social media posts that merely criticized the authorities, expressed pro-Palestinian sentiment, criticized Jordan’s peace deal with Israel, or called for peaceful protests and public strikes.

For instance, on 22 July 2024, a criminal court convicted lawyer and activist Moutaz Awwad of “provoking sedition or strife” under article 17 of the Cybercrimes Law and fined him 5000 Jordanian Dinars (around 7,000 USD) for posts on X, formerly Twitter, in which he criticized the policies of Arab countries towards Israel and expressed pro-Palestine sentiment. 

This sweeping crackdown has stifled the already small space for dissent in Jordan and created an environment of self-censorship.

Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International

Similarly, journalist Hiba Abu Taha is currently serving a one-year sentence in al-Juwaida Correction and Rehabilitation Centre in the south of Amman over an article she wrote in which she criticized Jordan’s interception of Iranian missiles headed to Israel in April 2024. A criminal court convicted her on 11 June 2024 for using social media platforms to “spread false news, or insult or defame a governmental authority or official body”, and for “inciting strife or sedition or threatening societal peace or inciting hatred or violence”.

According to Abu Taha’s lawyer, the appeals court confirmed the verdict and sentence on the same day without holding a public hearing, which he said indicated that the judge’s decision had already been made.

The sweeping arrests and prosecutions over the past year have emboldened the authorities to intensify their crackdown on all forms of dissent. On 2 July 2024, security forces arrested prominent journalist, playwright and satirist Ahmad Hassan al-Zoubi. A criminal court had sentenced him to one year in prison in a year earlier, in July 2023, for “provoking strife” under the 2015 Cybercrimes Law over a Facebook post criticizing the authorities’ response to strikes. However, public support of al-Zoubi had deterred Jordanian authorities from implementing his sentence at the time. 

Crackdown on pro-Palestine protests

Amnesty International has documented cases of activists and journalists who were questioned and/or prosecuted due to their coverage of Palestine solidarity protests on social media, re-sharing social media posts calling for protests, sharing videos or appearing in videos showing the authorities preventing and suppressing peaceful protests, as well as the case of an individual interrogated about the names of individuals who have called for protests. 

In one case, security forces arrested activist Fatima Shubeilat at a shopping mall in Amman without prior notice after a video circulated on social media of her participating in a pro-Palestine sit-in near the Israeli embassy in Amman in March 2024. According to her lawyer, she was initially charged with “unlawful gathering”, “resisting security personnel” and “insulting a public official” under articles 165, 185 and 196 of the Penal Code. The public prosecutor initially agreed to release her on bail but then reneged, saying that the Cybercrimes Unit had initiated another separate case against her under articles 15 and 17 of the Cybercrimes Law. She was released on bail on 30 April, and her trial for both cases is still pending. 

Administrative detention as a punitive measure

In an additional layer of repression, governors have also used the Crime Prevention Law to detain critics and activists as a way to punish and intimidate them. This law allows governors to detain people without charge or trial by administrative order with limited judicial review, circumventing fair trial safeguards normally afforded in criminal proceedings under the country’s Law of Criminal Procedure. 

For example, in December 2023, security officers summoned activist Majd al-Farraj for interrogation about pro-Palestine slogans posted on social media. He was charged under the Cybercrimes Law, but later acquitted by a criminal court. On 19 March 2024, he was re-arrested during a protest and held in administrative detention for 40 days.

On 24 April 2024, General Security officers arrested activist Samer al-Qassem over a TikTok video about Palestinian refugees. While the authorities released al-Qassem on bail on 14 May 2024, the Amman governor requested his administrative detention for one month. On 30 June, he was sentenced to three months in prison and fined 5000 JOD (around 7000 USD) under the Cybercrimes Law for “using social media platforms to provoke sedition and threaten societal peace”.