Jordan’s constitution provides for freedoms of speech and press, but the government does not respect these provisions in practice (HRR 2016). Journalists often face harassment and are forbidden from covering controversial issues (FotP 2016). Physical attacks against journalists have decreased in recent years (FotP 2016). The law forbids reporting on corruption “without sufficient proof of wrongdoing” and criminalizes defamation, thus leading to an environment of self-censorship among journalists (FotP 2016). Security officials reportedly try to influence reporters through bribes, threats, and political pressure (HRR 2016). News websites must register with the government, which retains the freedom to block foreign or domestic websites that do not comply with content restrictions (HRR 2016; FotP 2016). Journalists found guilty of offenses involving speech or association can be prosecuted under the Penal Code and various other criminal laws or tried by the quasi-military State Security Court (FotP 2016; HRR 2016). Jordan’s press environment is described as ‘not free’ (FotP 2016).
Jordan’s constitution provides for freedom of assembly, but the government restricts these rights in practice (HRR 2016). Despite the high number of NGOs in Jordan, civil society traditions are weak, and a large proportion of NGOs is created and controlled by the royal family (BTI 2016). The weaknesses of non-governmental actors including the media, is an often observed weakness in the fight against corruption in Jordan (Transparency International, 2017). The government is legally allowed to control the internal affairs of civil society organizations and decide on whether or not to accept foreign funding, and it allegedly infiltrated NGOs to have access to the organizations’ internal meetings (HRR 2016). The energy from the Arab Spring has dissipated and NGOs generally remain excluded from the policy-making process, and political leaders frequently ignore civil society’s interests or demands (BTI 2016).
