REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS and the dissemination of ideas deemed An estimated 4,500 individuals applied for supportive of terrorism. The State Security asylum in Japan but the numbers of refugees Court (SSC) continued to try people accused recognized under the UN Refugee Convention under anti-terrorism legislation; some remained very small. A steady increase in the of the accused alleged torture or other number of applications has occurred since ill-treatment. Jordan continued to receive 2006. Applicants from Myanmar decreased and host thousands of refugees from Syria and there was an increase in applicants from and, increasingly, Iraq, but barred entry countries such as Ghana and Cameroon. to Palestinians from Syria. Women faced discrimination in law and in practice; at FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION least 14 people were victims of so-called The Act on the Protection of Specially “honour killings”. Eleven prisoners were Designated Secrets came into force in executed in December, the first executions December 2014. This would allow the since 2006. government to classify information as “Specially Designated Secrets (SDS)” when a BACKGROUND “leak can cause a serious obstacle to national Jordan felt the impact of events beyond its security” in the categories of defence, borders, notably the armed conflicts in Syria diplomacy and so-called “harmful activities” and Iraq, and Israel’s military offensive in and “terrorism”. The law could restrict Gaza. The Syrian conflict generated further transparency by limiting access to information refugee flows into Jordan. Jordan hosted over held by public authorities, as the definition 600,000 refugees from Syria, according to of SDS was vague and the monitoring body UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and 30,000 lacked binding powers. refugees from Iraq. Demonstrations in March over the killing of a Jordanian judge by Israeli forces at the Allenby Bridge crossing between 1. Japan: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee: 111th session Jordan and the West Bank were followed by of the Human Rights Committee (7-25th July 2014) mass protests in July and August against www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA22/002/2014/en Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. Conditions were tense along the border with Syria and the government tightened controls there and along the border with Iraq. In April, the government said Jordanian JORDAN warplanes had fired on members of Syrian armed groups seeking to cross into Jordan. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan In June, the USA agreed to send missiles and Head of state: King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein military aircraft to Jordan, and in September, Head of government: Abdullah Ensour Jordan joined the US-led international alliance against the Islamic State armed group. The government made little progress in The authorities maintained strict controls implementing promised political reforms but on the rights to freedom of expression, the King gained sole authority to appoint the association and assembly. Government heads of the armed forces and the General critics faced arbitrary arrest and detention; Intelligence Department (GID) under a some were prosecuted and jailed. The constitutional amendment. government amended the 2006 Anti- Terrorism law to encompass acts deemed disruptive to Jordan’s foreign relations

Amnesty International Report 2014/15 207 FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION, offence. He was released on bail one week ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY later awaiting trial. The government maintained strict controls Also in July, the SSC imposed three-month on freedom of expression, using provisions prison terms on three peaceful pro-reform criminalizing defamation of the monarchy activists, Mahdi al-Saafin, Ayham Mohamed and other institutions and religion, the Press Alseem and Fadi Masamra, on charges of and Publications Law, and the 2010 Law “undermining” the state and “insulting” on Information System Crimes, which gave the King. the authorities wide powers to censor print, Mohamed Said Bakr and Adel Awad, senior broadcast and online media. The authorities Muslim Brotherhood members, were brought blocked some news websites. to trial before the SSC following their arrest In early 2014, the jurisdiction of the in September, accused of threatening state State Security Court (SSC) was restricted to security in public statements that criticized five crimes: treason, espionage, terrorism, Jordan’s leaders and links with the USA. In drugs offences, and money counterfeiting. December, the case against Adel Awad was However, amendments to the Anti-Terrorism thrown out due to lack of evidence. Law enacted in May imposed new curbs on freedom of expression by equating acts TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT deemed to disrupt Jordan’s foreign relations, Torture and other ill-treatment remained a including criticism of foreign leaders, and the significant concern. Among those alleging dissemination of certain ideas, with terrorism. such abuses were detainees arrested on The authorities continued to detain and suspicion of supporting or fighting for armed prosecute political opposition activists, online groups, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, in Syria. critics and journalists, including members of In June, the SSC acquitted Abu Qatada the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir party, at least 18 of terrorism charges. UK authorities had of whom faced trial before the SSC, despite deported him to Jordan in 2013 after its poor record of upholding international negotiating diplomatic assurances allegedly fair trial standards. In March, Nayef Lafi and to ensure that “confessions” gained from Ibrahim al-Kharabsheh were arrested as they others through torture would be inadmissible lobbied parliament against amendments in a new criminal trial. In reaching its verdict to the Anti-Terrorism Law, and faced up to the SSC did not disregard the “confession” seven years’ imprisonment on charges of evidence, considering it a matter of record, “illegal actions” threatening the government, but concluded that it was not supported and membership of a banned organization. by other evidence. In September, the SCC Wassim Abu Ayesh was tried by the SSC on acquitted Abu Qatada on separate charges terrorism charges. He was accused of posting and ordered his release. an Islamic State group video on Facebook, which he claimed was in fact a film about ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION the abuse of detainees in Iraq, and said that Provincial authorities held hundreds, his interrogators made him sign a statement possibly thousands, of criminal suspects without allowing him to read it. in administrative detention without charge In July, security forces attacked and or trial using the Law on Crime Prevention, assaulted journalists at an anti-Israel in force since 1954. The law empowers protest in Amman. In August, they arrested provincial governors to authorize the arrests Abdulhadi Raji Majali, an Al Ra’i newspaper and indefinite detention of those they deem journalist, by order of Amman prosecutors for a “danger to society” and affords those an online post to which the authorities took detained no means of appeal or legal remedy.

208 Amnesty International Report 2014/15 REFUGEES' AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS obtained from a judge. Jordanian NGO Jordan hosted over 600,000 refugees Sisterhood is Global reported that 13.2% from Syria, about one third of whom were of registered marriages in 2013 took place accommodated in six camps, the largest of before the bride’s 18th birthday. which had a population of over 100,000. The majority of refugees lived in towns and DEATH PENALTY cities throughout Jordan. While in principle Eleven men were executed on 21 December, maintaining an open-border policy to refugees the first executions in Jordan since 2006. This from Syria, the authorities closed the border followed the establishment in November of a to Syrian refugees on a number of occasions special committee of the cabinet to look into and prevented the entry into Jordan of the resumption of executions . Palestinians and Iraqis fleeing the Syrian conflict. The presence of so many refugees was a huge economic strain and placed a burden on Jordan’s resources, including water, education and health care. Insecurity KAZAKHSTAN increased due to the potential for the conflict to spread into Jordan. Republic of Kazakhstan Head of state: Nursultan Nazarbayev WOMEN’S RIGHTS Head of government: Karim Massimov (replaced Women remained subject to discrimination Serik Akhmetov in April) in law and practice, and were inadequately protected from sexual and other violence, including so-called honour crimes. Tens of There was no improvement in investigating thousands of women married to foreigners reports of human rights violations by law continued to be denied the right to pass on enforcement and security services and their nationality to their spouses and children. holding alleged perpetrators to account. In November, the government afforded them Bureaucratic obstacles and opaque internal greater access to education and medical care, ministerial regulations prevented victims but failed to end discrimination. The Ministry of torture and their relatives from obtaining of Justice was also reportedly considering justice. Similar obstacles continued to Penal Code changes to protect women hinder effective independent monitoring of against sexual harassment. places of detention. The right to freedom of At least 12 women and two children, a assembly continued to be restricted. Civil girl and a boy, were victims of so-called society activists feared that new legislative honour killings. In at least two cases courts proposals would restrict their freedoms of immediately commuted the death sentences expression and association. imposed on perpetrators of such killings to 10-year prison terms, apparently under TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT a provision allowing courts to commute The authorities repeatedly asserted their or reduce sentences if the victim's family commitment to eliminating torture and requests leniency. other ill-treatment. In September 2013, In July, UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, the Prosecutor General instructed national reported an increase in early marriage among prosecutors to “open a criminal investigation Syrian refugees, noting the associated risks into every incident of torture”. However, in this posed to girls. The legal age of marriage practice investigations into allegations of for women in Jordan was 18 unless special torture and other ill-treatment fell far short dispensation for an earlier marriage was

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