Jordan: Sentence against Toujan al-Faisal a blow to freedom of expression
* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International *
16 May 2002 MDE 16/008/2002
Amnesty International condemned the 18-months prison term imposed today on Toujan al-Faisal, former member of the
Jordanian Parliament. "This is a sad day for freedom of expression in Jordan. Toujan al-Faisal has been imprisoned
solely for exercising her fundamental right to express her opinion," the organization said.
Toujan al-Faisal was arrested in March following her public criticism of the Jordanian government. She was convicted by
the State Security Court on charges of "tarnishing the Jordanian state", defamation of the judiciary, "uttering words"
before another deemed to be "detrimental to his religious feeling", "publishing and broadcasting false information
abroad which could be detrimental to the reputation of the state", and inciting "disturbances and killings." She has
received the harshest sentence allowed on such charges.
Toujan al-Faisal was held in detention for some 11 days until being released on bail on 27 March and was re-arrested
three days later and has remained in prison ever since. Currently she is in Jweidah Prison and will be moved to Swaqa
Prison, in the desert, 80 kilometres from Amman. She has no right of appeal against the sentence.
"Sentencing Toujan al-Faisal has breached international human rights treaties which Jordan has ratified," said Amnesty
International. "As we feared, the Jordanian courts are using new measures supposedly introduced to fight 'terrorism' to
clamp down on the individual's exercise of the right to criticize government policy."
Background
Toujan al-Faisal was sentenced under a law promulgated through a provisional royal decree two weeks after the 11
September 2001 attacks. The law not only expanded the definition of "terrorism" but also further restricted freedom of
expression in Jordan. Offences committed under the law were transferred to the State Security Courts, which almost
invariably use military judges and do not provide the same guarantees of independence and impartiality provided by the
ordinary courts. (See Jordan: Security measures violate human rights, February 2002, AI Index: MDE 16/001/2002)
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