Al Balad news website editor released

AMMAN — The chief editor of Al Balad news website, Osama Al Ramini, was released on bail Wednesday after being detained for violating the Electronic Crime Law, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) said on Wednesday.

“The association and its legal team exerted its efforts and secured the release of Ramini on JD1,000 bail,” JPA President Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times.

Ramini was detained in Salt prison for 14 days pending further investigation following a lawsuit against him for publishing an article deemed by authorities as non-objective and full of slander. 

It was not clear what the article was about, but media sources said the lawsuit was filed against Ramini by an investor while others said it was filed by Tafileh Education Department after the website published an article that the department deemed “defamatory and unprofessional”.

The JPA, which reiterated rejection of detaining journalists over publications, said there are some unacceptable and unprofessional practices by journalists.

“Unfortunately, in our profession we suffer from having intruders who have nothing to do with journalism and who take advantage of their jobs to exploit others, build their reputation or obtain some benefits and perks,” Momani said.

“We support media freedom, but at the same time we are against violating freedoms of others,” he stressed.

“Professional journalists enjoy a very high level of freedom. To make a name in the profession, one should not be after publishing un-sourced news or sensational material just to seek fame,” Momani said.

The association currently has about 1,200 members.