The Jordanian authorities continue holding activists of freedom of expression, despite going on an open hunger strike to demand their freedom.
The political detainee Hamad Al-Kharsha has been on a hunger strike for 49th consecutive day, while Alaa Al-Nuaimat continues his hunger strike for the 41st day.
On Sunday, October 16,2022, The State Security Court decided to postpone the hearing of the political detainees Hamad Al-Kharsha, Alaa Al-Naimat, Ahmed Al-Batush, Madi Al-Shamasin, and others until November 9, due the absence of the detainees on hunger strike who could not attend given their poor health condition.
Lawyer Firas Al-Rousan stated that the court received a medical report on the hunger strikers, Hamad Al-Kharsha and Alaa Al-Nuaimat, stating that they should not be returned to prison dud to the lack of a specialised team to monitor their poor and deteriorating health condition.
He pointed out that Al-Kharsha and Al-Nuaimat refuse to end their strike until after their release. He also pointed out that the defense team submitted a new bail request to release them and the rest of the detainees in the same case.
Recently, the families of Al-Kharsha and Al-Nuaimat confirmed that they are still under treatment at Al-Bashir Hospital in the capital, Amman, where they have been denied family visitations.
On January 13, 2022, the Jordanian authorities arrested Al-Kharsha for sharing social media posts, and transferred him to the Military State Security Court, on charges of “undermining the regime.”
In February, the security services arrested Al-Nuaimat who had a sentence issued against him after he was accused of resisting a public servant, the head of the Jordanian royal court, Youssef Al-Issawi, during his visit to Al-Salt Governmental Hospital, following the death of a number of patients due to lack of oxygen.
The CIVICUS Monitor report, lowered Jordan’s ranking in 2021 from “obstructive” to “oppressive,” due to the Jordanian authorities’ closure of the teachers’ union, cutting the Internet, and imposing restrictions on journalists, civil society and activists.
In its annual report for 2020, the index of Freedom House showed Jordan’s regression in civil liberties and political rights, ranking 34th globally as it moved in classification to a “not free” country, after it was classified among the partially free countries.
