Jordanian Authorities Arrest Prominent Left Leader Dr. Issam Khawaja

The detention of Dr. Khawaja is suspected to be based on political grounds amid a growing crackdown on freedom of expression in Jordan.

On Wednesday, June 4, Jordanian security services arrested Dr. Issam Khawaja, the Deputy General Secretary of the Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party (known in Jordan as Wihda Party).

The prominent left Jordanian leader, who is also a pediatric neurologist, was arrested while leaving his workplace at Al-Basheer Hospital, in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Wihda Party condemned his arrest in a press statement, calling it “a clear violation of fundamental rights to which Jordanian citizens are entitled, including the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.”

The party pointed out that the detention of its deputy general secretary contradicts discussions about modernizing the political system, and the rights guaranteed by the Jordanian constitution and the international conventions.

The party affirmed that it will adhere to its positions in defense of public freedom, demanding “the immediate release of comrade Dr. Issam Khawaja and all prisoners of conscience.”

It is worth noting that the authorities in Jordan escalated their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the last few years, which has been widely criticized by international rights groups including Amnesty International, Freedom House, MENA Rights Group and Human Rights Watch.

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Jordan’s security services issue a vague statement about arrests
Although the reason behind Dr. Issam’s arrest has not been confirmed yet, a vague statement attributed to an unnamed security source was published by state-run news agency AlMamlaka late on Wednesday, announcing the detention of a number of unidentified “individuals” for allegedly “violating the law while participating in a march in Amman’s city center during the past weeks.”

According to the security source, those “individuals” were arrested “over chanting misleading and offensive slogans against the state, and violating the provisions of the law.” The source added that the detainees “will be referred to the Public Prosecutor, who will act thereupon as required by the law.”

The broadly-worded statement concluded by warning “all violators” of being prosecuted and detained by the concerned judicial authority, emphasizing that “no one would be allowed to commit any transgression or violation of the law, or offend Jordan and the Jordanian people.”