Families of three political detainees in Jordan, Ibrahim Jabr, Hudhayfa Jabr, and Khaled Al-Majdalawi, have reported that their sons were subjected to grave abuses during a sudden crackdown carried out by a security force last Monday at Juwaida Prison, near Amman.
In statements issued by the families, they said the operation involved the smashing of detainees’ electrical cooking appliances, the throwing of their clothes and personal belongings into the rubbish, and the destruction of their beds. The detainees were also subjected to direct insults and shouted at in front of criminal inmates, in what the families described as a “humiliating and shocking” scene.
For its part, the defence team representing the detainees confirmed that these actions are wholly unacceptable, stressing that their clients are entitled to full legal rights guaranteed by the Jordanian Constitution, the Law on Reform and Rehabilitation Centres, and international treaties and conventions relating to prisoners’ rights.
The defence further explained that the three men are political prisoners who have received preliminary sentences of twenty years’ imprisonment on charges of attempting to supply weapons to the Palestinian resistance. These rulings have not yet become final, the detainees have no criminal records, and the charges against them are not classified internationally or by the United Nations as terrorist offences.
This campaign constitutes a clear violation of the detainees’ fundamental rights. The Jordanian Constitution guarantees the right to human dignity for every detainee and prohibits any cruel, degrading, or humiliating treatment. Likewise, the Law on Reform and Rehabilitation Centres stipulates the protection of inmates from any physical or psychological abuse and requires the separation of political prisoners from criminal inmates.
At the international level, treaties ratified by Jordan, including the Convention Against Torture, prohibit any degrading or cruel treatment of detainees and affirm their right to a safe environment that preserves their dignity.
These violations underscore the urgent need to review prison policies in Jordan, ensure respect for the fundamental rights of political detainees, safeguard their physical and moral dignity, and strictly enforce the law against any abuses committed by the authorities.
