Proposed cybercrime law would deal new blow to press freedom in Jordan

The proposed law criminalises use of the Internet by any person, including journalists, to disseminate “false news,” commit acts of “defamation” (article 15) or cause “damage to reputation” (article 16) or “to national unity” (article 17). The penalties include fines ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 Jordanian dinars (25,000 to 63,000 euros) and up to three years in prison.

Ever since a cybercrime law was proposed for the first time in 2015 it has been alarming press freedom defenders in Jordan and has been rejected until now. The proposed law has undergone several changes in recent years but the version that has just been submitted to parliament is much more draconian.

Under article 17, in particular, using “the Internet or social networks to publish anything that may stir up conflict, [...] undermine national unity, incite hatred, call for or justify violence, or express contempt for religions” would be punishable by a heavy fine and between one and three years in prison. This article is open to the broadest of interpretations and could therefore easily be used against journalists.

In a statement published on 16 July, the Jordanian Journalists’ Syndicate called for a radical overhaul of this cybercrime bill and rejected “any attack on press freedom.” Government spokesman Faisal al-Shaboul said Jordan’s media laws protect journalists but, in reality, the work of the media and journalists is already subject to a great deal of obstruction by the laws regulating the media in Jordan, especially the press and publications law, the broadcast media law and the freedom of information law (one of the region’s first).

Censorship and gag orders

This bill has come at a time of growing concern about the press freedom climate. The Hashemite Kingdom fell 26 places (from 120th to 146th) in RSF’s 2023 World Press Freedom Index, one of the region’s biggest falls. Censorship and gag orders have increased in recent months. On 6 July, the authorities arbitrarily blocked access to Al-Hudood, a very popular satirical website founded in 2013. No official reason was given, but the site had just provided extensive coverage of Crown Prince Hussein’s wedding. 

Five publication bans were issued by the Jordanian authorities in 2022 to suppress reporting on murders and corruption scandals. They included an order issued by the attorney-general on 23 June 2022 banning journalists from covering a female university student’s murder. Three months later, the attorney-general banned coverage of the “Al-Hawatmeh Leaks” case, involving Five publication bans were issued by the Jordanian authorities in 2022 to suppress reporting on murders and corruption scandals. They included an order issued by the attorney-general on 23 June 2022 banning journalists from covering a female university student’s murder. Three months later, the attorney-general banned coverage of the “Al-Hawatmeh Leaks” case, involving audio recordings of former public security director Hussein Al-Hawatmeh admitting corruption. Judges can ban "any publication in connection with a case or crime under investigation" under article 255 of Jordan’s penal code or article 39 of the press and publications law.

Increasing self-censorship

Although no journalist is currently detained in Jordan, a growing climate of self-censorship increasingly hampers journalists’ work. There was little media coverage of the strikes by public transport workers against rising fuel prices that disrupted various parts of the country from 5 to 17 December. Aside from a few articles by the independent news sites Jo24.net and Roya News, the strikes and protests were either ignored or received brief negative mentions in articles praising the government's work.

The cybercrime law is liable to exacerbate this problem. Many journalists will wonder if it is worth covering a story when they could receive a heavy fine or be jailed for several years on a charge of “disrupting national unity.”