Jordanian authorities arrested the Jordanian novelist and academic Ayman Al-Otoum late on Friday night, while he was returning from the capital, Amman, to Irbid Governorate in the company of his mother and wife, without any prior warning or formal notification.
According to eyewitnesses, the authorities left both his mother and wife alone in a public street in cold night-time conditions before transferring him to one of the security centres.
The arrest was carried out under what is known as the “Cybercrime Law”, a move that has sparked a wave of questions about the extent to which due legal process and human rights were observed, particularly with regard to the right to prior notification and formal summons, and the protection of human dignity during arrest.
Ayman Al-Otoum is regarded as one of the most prominent writers in Jordan and the Arab world. His notable literary works include O My Prison Companion, The Talk of Soldiers, and They Hear Its Hissing. He is also an academic holding advanced degrees in Arabic language and engineering, and is considered a leading public figure in Jordanian society, especially in the city of Irbid.
Jordanian law stipulates that arrests must be carried out in accordance with specific procedures that guarantee a suspect’s fundamental rights, including being informed of the reasons for arrest, being allowed to contact a lawyer, and ensuring judicial oversight of any detention. However, the sudden timing of the arrest and the fact that his mother and wife were left alone in the street raise serious questions about whether this action complies with the principles of necessity and respect for human dignity, which are among the cornerstones of justice.
This arrest comes only days after the release of Al-Otoum’s son, who had been detained along with a group of students for expressing their views, raising further questions about whether the move is linked to broader attempts to restrict freedom of expression and cultural and intellectual activity, rather than a routine application of the law.
The arrest of Al-Otoum underscores the urgent need to ensure a genuine balance between law enforcement and the protection of fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial, and to guard against measures that may be interpreted as silencing voices or targeting activists and creative figures in society.
