Al Sabeel chief editor released on bail after brief detention

AMMAN — Al Sabeel daily chief editor Atef Julani was released on bail on Tuesday after being temporarily detained upon a decision by the Amman prosecutor general over an article in the paper.

The prosecutor’s decision was in response to a complaint by the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation over an article in the Islamist-oriented daily concerning Jordan refusing the entry of a shipment of gas cylinders, according to media sources.

A statement published on the newspaper’s website Tuesday said the chief editor was charged with violating articles of the Press and Publications Law and the Penal Code, publishing inaccurate reports and slandering public figures and a public agency.

In his article in Al Sabeel, Julani slammed the government for denying the entry of a shipment of gas cylinders from India and re-exporting them to an Italian company at JD1.5 million less than their cost.

The chief editor said it was unreasonable for  Jordan to reject the shipment, while European companies competed for buying it.

“Are Jordanian specifications and standards higher than European standards?” he asked in the article.

Jordan sold the shipment of 250,000 gas cylinders to Italy for around JD4 million.

If some decisions are taken by the government to gain popularity while causing serious consequences and losses, then that is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, wrote Julani.

The Jordan Press Association (JPA) has repeatedly called for amending the Press and Publications Law and other media-governing laws, stressing that journalists and media personnel should not be detained over published material.