Oct. 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry has criticized the recent statements by the Dutch ambassador in Amman on radio licenses and has remarked that they represent a “blatant interference” in the internal affairs of the country, as well as a “violation of diplomatic norms, of International Law and the UN Charter”.
Netherlands Ambassador Harry Verweij applied for a radio broadcasting license for a third-country citizen as part of a meeting with Jordanian Communications Minister Faisal al-Shbul on Tuesday.
In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has highlighted this Friday that it is “incomprehensible” that an ambassador representing a friendly country “interferes in a case governed by laws and regulations with total transparency,” according to the state news agency Petra .
Verweij later published a message on his official Twitter profile in which he assured that in their meeting, both discussed topics of common interest. “I highlighted our strong bilateral relationship and shared our concerns about Jordan’s declining international ranking on freedom of expression,” he said.
The NGO Human Right Watch (HRW) said in a statement in September that civic space in Jordan has dwindled in recent years as the country’s authorities persecute and harass those who organize peacefully.
HRW investigated 30 cases between 2019 and 2022 in which authorities reportedly used criminal defamation provisions “too vague to arrest and charge citizens for peacefully expressing political views on social media platforms or in public gatherings.”
Among these cases, the NGO perceived that old laws of the Penal Code of 1960, the Cyber Crimes Law of 2015, the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2006 or even the declaration of a state of emergency after the start of the coronavirus pandemic served to restrict “even plus” civil and political rights.
According to the press freedom ranking published annually by Reporters Without Borders, Jordan ranks 120th out of 180 countries on the list.
