Middle East News

Arab watchdog criticises human rights violations in Jordan

Apr 27, 2008, 14:21 GMT

Amman - The Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) on Sunday accused the Jordanian authorities of failure to show adequate seriousness in dealing with human rights violations as reported by citizens. In its report about the human rights situation in Jordan in 2007, the Amman-based AOHR said it received 122 complaints last year about violations mainly pertaining to bad treatment, torture at police stations and abuse of authority. 'This number of complaints is an indication that the violations of human rights in the country were on the rise in 2007 because complaints received in earlier years did not exceed 100,' the AOHR report said. 'The government dealt only with four out of the 122 complaints we reported,' the AOHR chief Hani Dahleh said. The AOHR criticized the laws governing public freedoms because 'they gave security bodies authorities which were being misused.' It also blasted the 'unjustifiable delay' in sending detainees to courts. It put the number of detainees by judicial authorities in 2007 at more than 3,000 and those arrested for administrative reasons at more than 12,000, including foreign workers. The organization urged amendment of legislations governing public freedoms including the Political Parties Law, the Press and Printing Law, the Election Law and the penal code.

Middle East News

Arab watchdog criticises human rights violations in Jordan

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