In the 42-page report Human Rights Watch also called on the United States and the European Union to condition some funding to Jordan on changes in these laws.

“While promising to foster civil society, Jordanian authorities have instead made life more difficult for nongovernmental groups,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The government is using oppressive laws and practices to shut out private citizens from peacefully participating in public policy debates.”