(New York, October 29, 1999) -- Human Rights Watch today criticized the
provision in Jordan's press law that requires all journalists to join
one press association. In a letter to Prime Minister Abdel Raouf
Rawabdeh made public today, the international human rights organization
called for an amendment to the press and publications law that would
revoke mandatory membership in the Jordan Press Association (JPA).
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| "This case is a perfect illustration of why the press law needs to be
amended. Journalists should be
free to travel, seek information, and express their opinions. They
should not be required to join a specific association, particularly one
that has the power to interfere with these freedoms and threaten the
loss of one's job."
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Hanny Megally
Executive Director of the Middle East and
North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch
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Last week, the JPA's disciplinary committee decided to expel three
leading Jordanian journalists as members because they visited Israel in
September in violation of the professional association's ban on
"normalized" relations with Israel. Jordan's press and publications law
makes JPA membership mandatory for anyone working as a journalist in
Jordan. The disciplinary committee's decision to expel the three
journalists, if endorsed by the JPA leadership, will prevent them from
practicing their profession in Jordan.
"This case is a perfect illustration of why the press law needs to be
amended," said Hanny Megally, executive director of the Middle East and
North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. "Journalists should be
free to travel, seek information, and express their opinions. They
should not be required to join a specific association, particularly one
that has the power to interfere with these freedoms and threaten the
loss of one's job."
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