Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) stated that the draft general amnesty law -recently approved by the Jordanian House of Representatives- excludes political detainees and those arrested in protests against the crimes of the Israeli occupation. The draft law shows a clear intention to deter anyone from engaging in such activities.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Jordanian House of Representatives approved the draft amnesty law for 2024, which was ratified by the government and granted urgent status following a direct order from the Jordanian King earlier this month.
The amnesty stipulated that all pending cases before the judiciary, crimes committed before March 19, and traffic violations were included, except cases related to public security, money laundering, corruption, and illicit gain. It explained that public security cases are all those of political and intellectual nature, and it includes those arrested in the protests against the genocide in Gaza.
The draft law also excluded detainee accused of “opposing the ruling system”.
It is unfair and illogical to equate cases of financial corruption and illicit gain with cases of freedom of opinion, in which detainees only used their legitimate right to express their opinions.
A general amnesty arising from the needs of society cannot be achieved without addressing its inclusion of cases of political and intellectual nature.
The deliberate exclusion of all those who criticised the crimes of the Israeli occupation from the amnesty law only serves the interests of the Israeli occupation and gives it a green light to continue its genocidal war on the innocent people in Gaza, without even being disturbed with peaceful protests or posts on social media.
The weak position of the Arab and Islamic regimes towards the crimes of the occupation against civilians in Gaza has greatly contributed to doubling the suffering of the people and increasing the already catastrophic losses.
The siege imposed by the Sisi regime in particular and its refusal to open the Rafah crossing to evacuate the injured for treatment and bring in aid has caused a famine that is slowly killing the people of Gaza.
Likewise, the Jordanian government’s weak position on genocide has also contributed greatly in encouraging the occupation to continue its crimes, as it did not sever diplomatic relations and allowed the United States to use Jordanian territory to transport military equipment to the occupation. It was also part of the land bridge that the UAE established to provide food and other supplies to the Israelis, while Palestinians in Gaza had no water to drink, and where the use of local anaesthesia during surgical operations has become a luxury.
AOHR UK called on civil society organisations to pressure the Jordanian government to sever diplomatic relations with the occupation, join the lawsuit filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice, release all those arrested for protesting in solidarity with the Palestinians, and allow protests until the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip stops.
