Jordan: Skyline condemns the summoning of writer "Ahmed Al-Zoubi" to appear before the Public Prosecutor due to a post on social media

Stockholm - Skyline International for Human Rights states that the Jordanian government should reconsider its free expression policy after several writers and journalists were arrested for posting on social media. It stresses that these practices constitute an unjustified restriction on the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by both the Jordanian constitution and international law.

In a statement released today, Tuesday, Skyline states that it is seriously following the actions of the Jordanian judicial authorities to summon journalist Ahmed Al-Zoubi to appear before the prosecutor in the capital, Amman, following a complaint filed against him by the authorities after his Previously comment posted on his page.

Journalist "Al-Zoubi" said in on his Twitter account this Saturday, "I discovered a few days ago, and by chance, that I am warranted at the judicial execution to stand before the prosecutor of Amman, without informing me that officially and on paper, in a complaint filed against me for(the right of the public) about a month old post

According to reports, the prosecuter has not yet disclosed the charges against "Al-Zoubi" , but the writer said in statements to media that "the case was in response to a post on Facebook criticizing a speech by a Jordanian official during a series of transport strikes in December."

"Freedom of speech is becoming worse in Jordan. Freedom has to be guaranteed for all journalists," Al-Zoubi told the Tunisian News Agency.

Al-Zoubi's legal defence expects that he will be charged under Jordan's electronic crimes law, which has been criticised in the past for being overly vague and for a policy to stifle dissent.

The case against al-Zoubi was brought against him for "the right of the public," which allows the plaintiff in an electronic crimes case to conceal their identity, which activists say is often used to the advantage of the government.

Skyline affirms that the Jordanian authorities' continued restrictive behavior toward activists and free expression is a serious violation of the rights enshrined in the Jordanian Constitution and in many international agreements guaranteeing freedom of opinion and expression, most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights .

Skyline concludes its statement by calling on Jordanian authorities to reconsider their behavior toward writers, activists, and journalists. It urges the authorities to allow individuals and activists to exercise their fundamental rights, especially the right to freedom of opinion and expression, without restrictions or prosecution.