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** SPOTLIGHT
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Jordan must uphold people’s right to access independent news

Jordan recently blocked at least 12 independent news sites. Why?

The country’s media commission failed to give a solid legal reason for ordering Internet Service Providers to block access. Instead, authorities talked of a need to stop the ‘targeting of national symbols’ and putting an end to the spread of ‘media poison’.

The timing is suspicious, given recent investigative reports ([link removed]) alleging that official institutions in Jordan profited from the coordination of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. Soon after their publication, people’s access to some of the media outlets responsible for publishing were restricted, and a total ban followed on 14 May.

There has been no indication that the judiciary was involved in issuing, reviewing, or upholding the blocking decision, nor that the measure was subject to any form of independent oversight or legal appeal. As far as we know, affected outlets were not offered an opportunity to appeal or challenge the decision before an independent court.

The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in Jordan’s Constitution, and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Jordan is bound to uphold in both law and practice.

We joined the MENA Rights Group and other partners in condemning this censorship, an apparent politically motivated attempt to suppress independent reporting. Coupled with the ongoing use of cybercrime law ([link removed]) to restrict digital freedoms in the country – resulting in arrests and websites being blocked ([link removed]) – we are witnessing a growing trend in the criminalisation of peaceful expression and digital activism without independent judicial oversight.

People in Jordan have the right to access news and information, and to call out government institutions when they perceive them to be acting against the public good.

The Jordanian government must uphold these rights and lift the ban on news websites. Protecting press freedom and media pluralism is not incompatible with the rule of law – it is a prerequisite for it.

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