Jordan heats up over newspapers ban
Jordan, Judicial, 2/7/1998

The Jordanian government insisted on its demand concerning new licensing and confiscation of a newspaper which was published, causing a dispute between the government and the suspended newspapers to escalate.

"The newspapers which were suspended by the government could not be published," director of press and publishing Mr. Bilal al-Tal said. The legal opinion defended by the government ordered that the newspapers,"should submit a new application," he added, refuting statements that the government did not execute the decision issued by the Jordanian Supreme Court two weeks ago.

"The government has not eluded and has not said that it would not execute the decision," he said, but,"there are jurisprudences." he reaffirmed," A member of the Supreme Court contradicted the resolution; because of another jurisprudence," he added.

Hani-al-Dahla, an attorney representing eight suspended newspapers, asked those newspapers to be published "immediately," because, "The cabinet did not abolish their licenses," while, "The court abolished the amended press law," according to which the newspapers were suspended before.

"It is regrettable that the government consulted those who have nothing to do with laws," Mr. al-Dahla, condemning the governmental jurisprudence, said.

The deputy chief of the Journalists Syndicate, Mr. Himi al-Asmar, asked the closed newspapers to, "challenge the governmental abuse procedures and publish immediately."

"We will resort the King" to solve the dispute, he said

Editor-in-Chief of Al-Umma newspaper, Ibrahim Ghurabiya, said that he has a right to publish his newspaper as per the Supreme Court's decision. "It was my right to sue the government and ask for compensation," he said.

Previous Stories:
  Supreme Court revokes press law   (1/27/1998)
  A modern electoral law for Jordan   (1/27/1998)
  Jordan's Security Police launch arrests of Iraqis living illegally in Jordan   (1/26/1998)

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