August 25, 1999
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdel-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh
c/o His Excellency Ambassador Marwan Muasher
Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is writing to protest the arrest of Abdel Karim Barghouti, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Al-Bilad.
On August 23, Jordanian authorities arrested Barghouti after a state prosecutor issued a 14 day detention order against him, reportedly for defaming Your Excellency’s son, Issam Rawabdeh. According to media reports and sources at Al-Bilad,Barghouti’s arrest resulted from an article published in last week’s edition of Al-Bilad,alleging that Issam Rawabdeh had harassed a group of female nurses aboard a bus last month.
Barghouti was initially detained on August 22. He was released on bail the same day, and then rearrested on Monday. According to a number of his colleagues, Barghouti, who is in his sixties, suffers from a heart ailment. It is feared that this detention will further aggravate his health.
Barghouti’s arrest comes less than a month after the July 25 arrest of journalist Sinan Shaqdeh of the evening daily Al-Massaeyah.Shaqdeh was arrested at his home without charge by General Intelligence agents and held for over two weeks. During his detention, Shaqdeh was questioned about several news articles that he had written for Al-Massaeyahand other Jordanian newspapers, including a story that appeared in Al-Massaeyahciting critical comments reportedly made by the Syrian ambassador to Jordan on the issue of Jordanian prisoners in Syria. Shaqdeh was also questioned about his news coverage of Palestinian affairs. He was eventually released on August 10, following the reported intervention of King Abdullah II.
As with the case of Sinan Shaqdeh, CPJ views the arrest of Abdel Karim Barghouti as a grave attack on press freedom in Jordan. Whether carried out arbitrarily, by court order, or within the context of Jordanian law, depriving journalists of their liberty because of their work violates the most fundamental norms for press freedom as guaranteed by international law. Such actions serve only to stifle the free debate that is essential in a democratic society.
The Barghouti and Shaqdeh cases are only the most recent examples of Jordanian authorities arresting or detaining journalists in response to their published work. For several years our organization, along with Jordanian journalists and both local and international human rights organizations, has protested this pattern of abuse to numerous Jordanian governments. Regrettably, the arrests of editors and reporters continue, with chilling consequences for the work of the Jordanian press.
The Committee to Protect Journalists respectfully urges Your Excellency to ensure that Abdel Karim Barghouti be released immediately and that he be allowed to carry out his professional duties without interference from authorities. We also urge Your Excellency to take a leadership role in amending legislation under which journalists can be arrested for what they publish, and enacting legal safeguards to protect journalists from arrest or detention.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We 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 Excellency Prime Minister Abdel-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh
c/o His Excellency Ambassador Marwan Muasher
Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008