NGOs criticise ban of human rights meeting

AMMAN — A meeting slated for Saturday to discuss the promotion of human rights principles through the media was cancelled “at the last minute”, leaving participants shocked and angry. 

Amman Governor Saad Shehab, who refused to comment on the issue, prevented the Jordan Society for Human Rights (JSHR) from holding the meeting, which was planned to be held at the Century Park Hotel in Amman. 

In a statement, the society said it was informed of the governor’s decision at 2:57pm on Thursday, which they said is three minutes before the end of official working hours, despite having informed the governor about the meeting since December 29, in accordance with the law.

“There is no other explanation behind cancelling an event that has to do with human rights other than that we are living under unannounced martial law,” JSHR President Suleiman Sweis charged.

He told The Jordan Times on Saturday that the law only stipulated notifying the governor, not seeking his approval. 

“The main aim of the meeting was to bring media outlet representatives together to encourage them to shed more light on human rights issues. How is that considered a security threat?” he asked, deeming the move a violation of free speech and freedom of assembly. 

The step also violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, published in the Official Gazette in 2006, according to Sweis. 

On the other hand, he claimed that authorities “do not hamper the work or activities of foreign and international organisations working in Jordan, including events that discuss internal issues”. 

Several NGOs, including the Jordanian Women’s Union and Tamkeen Fields for Aid, have signed a petition in support of the JSHR. 

In the petition, the NGOs criticised the “systematic aggression against public freedoms”, denouncing the move to ban the meeting and urging the government to put an end to “this short-sighted policy”, which is “harmful to the interests of the people and the homeland”.