July 27, 1999
His Majesty King Abdallah Ibn Hussein
c/o Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Your Majesty:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wishes to protest the detention of Senan Shaqdeeh, a senior editor for the evening daily al-Masaeyyah,who was arrested at his home in Amman early Sunday morning by agents from the Jordanian General Intelligence Department. According to local press reports, the agents, who arrived about 1:30 a.m., seized several of Shaqdeeh’s manuscripts before presenting him with an arrest warrant issued by the Intelligence Department’s prosecuting attorney.
CPJ has learned that Shaqdeeh is being held at the headquarters of the General Intelligence Department, but has not been formally charged. According to our sources in Jordan, he is undergoing interrogation for “having contact with foreign sources” in the course of his journalistic work.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, we believe that journalists should never face arrest or criminal prosecution because of material that they publish. The threat of detention and criminal prosecution inhibits the ability of the press to work freely. It therefore violates Aricle 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees everyone the right to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
We respectfully urge Your Majesty to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Senan Shaqdeeh.
I thank you for your attention to these important concerns and look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Jordan
Send a letter to:
His Majesty King Abdallah Ibn Hussein
c/o Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008