The Jordanian authorities continue to arrest a number of activists over freedom of expression charges, pushing some of them to declare hunger strike.
The family of the political prisoner Hamad Al-Khuraisha confirmed that he was transferred to the intensive care unit at Al-Bashir Hospital after a very critical health deterioration as he continues hunger strike for 25 consecutive days.
Hamad refused any intravenous solution transfusion or any other forms of medical treatment, the family added.
A Jordanian court had earlier set October 2 for to hold his next session.
Hamad was arrested on January 13 over social media posts, where he was brought before the Military State Security Court on charges of “undermining the regime.”
Jordan has been downgraded from ‘obstructed’ to ‘repressed’ in a 2021 report by the CIVICUS Monitor, a global research collaboration that rates and tracks fundamental freedoms in 197 countries and territories.
According to the report, the suspension of the last remaining Teachers’ Association, internet shutdowns, and restrictions enforced on journalists, civil society and activists, have led to the downgrade.
For many years, Jordan was classified by Freedom House as a partly-free country. But as of 2021, Jordan’s classification fell back, and it was classified as not free.
