Free speech for everybody? Not so in Jordan, apparently

On 25 July, the Jordanian government shut down the opposition-run teachers’ union – The Teachers Syndicate – for two years, arresting its leading members. Yet, despite the order to suspend the union’s activities, teachers have continued their nationwide protests.

Beyond their initial demands for better salaries and work conditions, teachers are asking for the release of union members and the re-opening of the union. Some demonstrators have escalated their demands and are calling for the resignation of Jordan’s prime-minister Omar Razzaz.

While photos and videos of protests fill social media, very few of these images have made it into Jordanian newspapers or TV channels. Following a raid on the union’s offices and the arrest of its leadership, Jordanian authorities issued a gagging order barring publication of news or commentary on the case, except by entities authorised by the state.

According to state news agency Petra, the head of the union Nasser Nawasreh has been charged with incitement, with several members of the union arrested for questioning on "criminal and corruption charges".

Prominent source of opposition

With over 100,000 members, the Teachers Syndicate is one of the most prominent sources of opposition to the Jordanian government. Last year, it went on strike for over a month until a deal could be struck with the government regarding a teachers’ pay increase.

In recent weeks, union representatives accused the government of failing to honour the deal, after the cash-strapped government announced that it would be freezing public sector wages in response to the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

The authorities have accused the syndicate of trying to "harm the state’s essential services", and some officials have claimed the union’s leadership harbours an "Islamist" agenda, an accusation dismissed by the union as a "smear campaign". Jordan’s prime-minister Omar Razzaz has said the government will not submit to the union’s "bullying".

According to human rights organisations, regardless of the alleged political motivations of unionists, the closure of the union and the arrests of teachers illustrate the Jordanian government’s lack of tolerance for dissent or opposition."Shuttering one of the Jordan's few independent labour unions following a protracted dispute with the government and on dubious legal grounds raises serious concerns about the government's respect for the rule of law," Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. 

"The lack of transparency and the ban on discussing this incident on social media only reinforces the conclusion that the authorities are violating citizens' rights," he added.

Heavy-handed policing

On 29 July, Jordanian police clashed with teachers protesting the closure of the union, with several beaten and dozens arrested in Amman. "The police started beating protesters, and I was caught in the middle," says Sherbel Dissi, a photojournalist who was covering the demonstration. "I was hit in the head, stomach and legs," says Dissi, who adds that he was beaten with batons despite telling the police he was a journalist.

The government said protests were forbidden for security reasons, since large groups of people are not allowed to gather to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Despite this, a protest against gender-based violence just days before managed to secure government approval.

“There were some 500 people [at the women’s rights protest] and it wasn’t met with violence,” says Dissi, questioning the double standards used that allow other protests to be staged in Amman.

The Jordanian authorities were not available for comment. Local media has reported at least 60 teachers were arrested at the beginning of August.

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Coronavirus a convenient excuse

Since Jordan declared a state of emergency on 17 March to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, authorities have also arrested media workers, former members of parliament and media users, apparently in response to public criticism.

In April, authorities detained a Roya TV channel executive and a presenter, as well as Bangladeshi journalist Salim Akash, after the publication of reports on financial difficulties and the hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic among Jordanians and migrant workers.

Salim al-Batayneh, a former parliament member and government critic, and his relative Mo’tasem al-Batayneh, were also arrested in April on suspicion of "undermining the political regime". A month later, authorities arrested Saeed Dhiab, secretary-general of the leftist Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party, over an article published online.

A vaguely worded emergency decree passed in April made sharing news that "cause panic" about the pandemic punishable with a penalty of up to three years in prison. Rights activists say the government has been using emergency laws to limit civil and political rights.   

The Jordanian government, however, has consistently denied there are political prisoners and says all activists or dissidents under custody were charged with violating the law. 

In a press conference on 26 July following the closure of the teachers’ union and in response to a question on the number of political prisoners, the Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Al-Adayleh said "no one was detained in a freedom of expression-related case under the terms of the defence law."

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Detention of dissidents nothing new

Human rights reports, on the other hand, indicate the arrest of activists and dissidents is not new. In 2019, HRW found that over thirty political and anti-corruption activists were detained on charges such as "lengthening the tongue", "undermining the political regime" and "online slander". A statement issued by Amnesty International claims that last year "authorities continued to harass and detain activists and journalists who criticised the government or King Abdullah".

According to rights organisations, restrictions of freedom of expression existed long before the pandemic, but the coronavirus state of emergency has given cover to Jordanian authorities looking to crackdown on dissent in a harsher manner.

As a result, many Jordanians fear the worst is yet to come. With unemployment and poverty on the rise because of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, social grievances are set to increase. The main question is how the government will try to address them – with solutions, or with repression?

Marta Vidal

© Qantara.de 2020