Jordan Human Rights
Human Rights Concerns
Amnesty International continues to be concerned about torture and ill-treatment in detention in Jordan, as well as the link between torture, unfair trials, and the death penalty. Amnesty International has particular concerns about the application of the death penalty in Jordan because there is a pattern of death sentences, and sometimes executions, occurring as a result of unfair trials where confessions extracted under torture are used as evidence against the defendants. There has also been a pattern of suppression of freedom of expression and association, especially in the wake of laws restricting freedom of the press and expression that were promulgated in the fall of 2001.
Several clerics and journalists and members of professional associations have been arrested, detained, and charged for peaceful expression of their opinions. The practice of killing women and girls by husbands or family members because they have allegedly engaged in behavior that goes against social norms (so-called "honor killings") continues to be a problem in Jordan; measures calling for stricter punishment for those committing honor killings have failed to be enacted.
Relevant Links
Jordan Newsroom
June 17, 2019 • Press Release
Report: Over Two Years Later, Families Still Left in Limbo After Trump’s Muslim Ban Face Impossible Circumstances
When President Trump signed what has become known as the Muslim ban during his first week in office, he set into motion a series of events that continue to leave …
June 17, 2019 • Report
The Mountain is in Front of Us and the Sea is Behind Us: The Impact of US Policies on Refugees in Lebanon and Jordan
When President Trump signed what has become known as the Muslim ban during his first week in office, he set into motion a series of events that continue to leave …
February 26, 2019 • Report
Human rights in the Middle East and North Africa: A review of 2018
The international community’s chilling complacency towards wide-scale human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has emboldened governments to commit appalling violations during 2018 by giving them …
October 10, 2016 • Press Release
Jordan: Aid deliveries to refugees trapped in desert must be followed by long-term solution
Reports about the resumption of humanitarian aid to 75,000 refugees stranded in a remote, arid area along the Jordanian-Syrian border called “the berm” are a long-awaited glimmer of hope that should be followed by a sustainable, long-term solution, Amnesty International said today.
September 26, 2016 • Press Release
Killing of Jordanian journalist a deplorable attack on freedom of expression
The shooting to death of a prominent journalist outside a court in Amman yesterday is an alarming attack on freedom of expression, said Amnesty International.
September 14, 2016 • Press Release
Syria-Jordan border: 75,000 refugees trapped in desert no man’s land in dire conditions
Video footage and satellite images showing makeshift grave sites and burial mounds offer a rare glimpse inside a desert no man’s land between Jordan and Syria where tens of thousands of refugees who have been virtually cut off from humanitarian aid for two months are stranded, said Amnesty International.
August 18, 2016 • Press Release
Obama must offer urgent support to Syrian refugees on Jordan border
Over 80,000 refugees stranded in the desert at the border between Jordan and Syria are facing dire circumstances caused by shortages in food, water, and medical care.
June 22, 2016 • Press Release
Response to border bombing must not include push-back of refugees
The “iron fist” security response pledged by Jordanian authorities in the wake of Tuesday’s car bombing of a military outpost along the border with Syria must not descend into closing the border and denying humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing armed conflict, Amnesty International said today.
March 23, 2016 • Report
Living on the margins: Syrian refugees struggle to access health care in Jordan
The combination of grossly inadequate support from the international community and barriers imposed by the government of Jordan are leaving Syrian refugees unable to access health care and other vital services, said Amnesty International in a new report published ahead of a major high-level meeting on responsibility sharing for Syrian refugees.
March 23, 2016 • Press Release
Syrian refugees in Jordan blocked from accessing critical health services
The combination of grossly inadequate support from the international community and barriers imposed by the government of Jordan are leaving Syrian refugees unable to access health care and other vital services, said Amnesty International in a new report published ahead of a major high-level meeting on responsibility sharing for Syrian refugees.
