Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October/November 1997, Page 33

Jordan Journal

Journalists Are Cautious in Criticizing Jordan's Tough New Press Law

By Manal Omar

Jordan's new press law that went into effect last May 15 has not improved the troubled history of problems between Jordan's ruler and its journalists. Five days after the issuance of the press law, which amends provisions of the Press and Publications law of 1993, was announced, journalists conducting a peaceful protest were violently dispersed by Jordanian police. The demonstrators had gathered near the prime minister's office in Amman with signs stating, "No to the Assassination of the Press" and "We will not let our mouths be gagged and our pens broken."

Some protesters were beaten and 10 were arrested. Among those assaulted was Serene Haalasa, representative of Qatar television, who was covering the demonstration, not participating in it. As she described it to the Jordan Times, "We were attacked from all sides. They opened my car from the back and pulled me out by my hair."

Journalists and professionals consider the new amendments to the press law an attack on freedom of expression. The government's violent reaction to the first peaceful protest against the new law only seemed to validate their fears.

Jordanian Information Minister Dr. Samir Matawi explained that the demonstration was not approved by the government and the protesters had not obtained a permit. As a result, he said, it was necessary for the police to disperse the protesters.

The Jordanian government's crackdown on journalists was not something new. Since the signing of the peace treaty with Israel in 1994, tensions between the government and the press have risen. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), five editor-publishers and six journalists were arrested between July 1996 and October 1996. A well-known case is the arrest in September 1996 of Hilmi Asmar, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Al-Sabeel, who published an article describing the torture by Jordanian officials of an Islamic activist.

Jordanian popular discontent broke into the open with an August 1996 anti-government protest against the doubling of bread prices. Disturbances erupted in Kerak and spread to Amman.

At that time the Jordanian government attributed much of the public unrest to the local press. Since then the problem has escalated as journalists have guardedly reported public discontent with the peace process, normalization of relations with Israel, harsh economic conditions, and high unemployment rates.

A few days before the new law was passed, in a speech to senior military officers the king said, "The press is not reflecting the correct image of the country we know. This distortion should stop."

On June 6, members of the Jordan Press Association (JPA) met with government officials in Amman. When it became clear that there would be no compromise by either side, the JPA said it would take the government to court.

Meanwhile, in a 14-page report entitled A Death Knell for Freedom of Expression? The New Amendments to the Press and Publications Law, Human Rights Watch charged the Jordanian government with placing "unacceptable infringements" on the right to freedom of expression. The report said the new law is "clearly designed to impose a regime of self-censorship on the press and other publications, preventing them from carrying news and other information related to domestic and foreign affairs."

The new amendments target Jordan's weekly publications. They now are required to increase their capital from 15,000 Jordanian dinars ($21,135) to JD 300,000 ($422,700).The government explains the goal is to weed out tabloid magazines which demean Jordan and offend traditional culture. In the May 22, 1997 issue of the Star, the only weekly English-language newspaper in Jordan, publisher Ossama El-Sherif wrote, "While the government may have a case against the way some tabloids have abused their freedom under the 1993 law, the government's choice of remedy is unjustified and will do more harm than good to press freedom and to the image of Jordan as a beacon of democracy in this region."

Another journalist in Jordan said, "The new amendments are not an attack on tabloids, they are an attack on the core of journalism. Many of the weekly tabloids are more daring and discuss issues in between the lines. It is not a matter of moral issues, it is political. Currently, you have peace drawing its last breath and you have elections in November. These new amendments are so ambiguous they terrorize all journalists. You can't work with someone pointing a gun at your head."

A member of the Jordanian opposition explained the new press laws as a direct attempt to silence any opposition. "We have crucial issues to address to the government. At the same time, we do not have large budgets. Many of the opposition weeklies will now be put out of business. This is just in time for the November elections." The 11-party opposition bloc, which includes Islamists, leftists and pan-Arabists, called on the government at the end of May to cancel the new press law.

Legal experts have questioned the new law's legality. "This law violates article 94/1 of the constitution," explained Hussein Majali, president of Jordan's Lawyers Association. The Constitution states that a temporary law may be passed only if there is an urgent case which requires specific measures.

Despite the dissatisfaction, local newspapers stopped reporting on the new press laws after June. "The strong newspapers will benefit from the closing of other weekly newspapers," explained one Jordanian journalist. "Many have forgotten that the issue is freedom of the press, something everyone should be focusing on."