Worst law for the press says writers, Parliament voice its opinion
Jordan, Politics, 6/23/1998

"The draft of Jordanian Law of the Press and Publications is considered the worst along the history of press and publications in Jordan," the Jordanian Association of Writers said.

In a statement, the association said it regards the draft of Jordanian Law of Press and Publications as a step against public freedoms, "after the Supreme Court of Justice in Jordan abolished the previous temporal law."

The association said, "Instead of taking into account the local comments, observations and the reactions regarding the 1993 Temporal Law, the government has submitted a more restrictive draft law that violates public freedoms more to the parliament."

The statement said that there were several points to be addressed in the law which were not: "First, it takes into consideration the settlement process on both Jordanian and Palestinian tracks,

Second, it was supposed that the government submitted a more liberal draft of law but not one more suppressive,

Third, the financial conditions restrict the press and limits freedom,

Fourth, the project is regarded as the most dangerous governmental document that solidify control over mind and culture."

The statement said that the project punishes people who buy or own any book which was not approved by the Office of Publications for reading.

"Fifth, the draft mixes between the writer and the journalist,

Sixth, the project is very close to Jordanian Penal Code," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Jordanian deputies expressed great concern regarding the draft of the new press law which was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Jordanian government last week. Most of the deputies refused the government's draft of the Law of Press and Publications.

In the course of the session, 54 representatives took part in the discussion. Most of them criticized the draft and the secret way the government went about preparing for the law. The deputies stressed that it was very important to preserve freedom of the press and expression of opinion.

The deputies criticized increasing the monetary ceiling for penalties against the press and increasing the capital requirements needed by newspapers before they are allowed to be published.

Previous Stories:
  Israel embassy in Amman denies expelling the ambassador from restaurant   (6/19/1998)
  New law to give Press more freedom not less   (6/16/1998)
  Jordanian opposition: New press law is bad for the country   (6/8/1998)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search