Jordan: Heba Abu Taha Charged With Defamation for Social Media Post

Following her appeal, the journalist was released to await trial

Location: Jordan, Amman
Date: August 8, 2023

Security services apprehend journalist Heba Abu Taha over allegations of defaming an official body on social media. Abu Taha was temporarily released after appealing her detention. The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns Heba Abu Taha's arrest. We welcome her release and urge authorities to drop all charges against her.

Following a judge's decision to sentence her to three months in prison, journalist Heba Abu Taha was arrested by security services on charges of defaming an official body through a social media post. The evidence provided by Jordan's Cybercrime Unit revealed that Abu Taha had written a Facebook post concerning events at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. In her post, she voiced criticism towards Jordanian King Abdallah, accusing him of engaging in normalization with Israel and accompanying her words with a picture of the king alongside an Israeli flag.

Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper has cited legal sources who find Abu Taha's charges and conviction for slandering an official body surprising. These sources argue that the king does not fall under the definition of an official body as stated in Article 191 of the Jordanian Penal Code. The reporter's arrest has taken place during the ongoing deliberations of the proposed draft cybercrime law by the Jordanian parliament.

The Leadership Committee of the Jordanian Expatriates Assembly has voiced concerns regarding the legislation, asserting that it intends to limit freedom of expression through the imposition of substantial fines and imprisonment for violations of ambiguous provisions. 

Abu Taha was released after she lodged an appeal against the verdict.

Previous arrest and legal harassment 

Abu Taha was arrested on March 14, 2020, by Amman Public Prosecutor Hassan al-Sarhan, as reported by the Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom. She faced charges of slander and undermining the government. Initially, Abu Taha was briefly held in custody but was later released on bail with instructions to return the next day.

However, upon her return to the prosecutor's office on March 15, al-Sarhan ordered her detention for 14 days. Abu Taha was subsequently transferred to the Juwaidah Correction and Rehabilitation Center for Women in Amman. She was released on bail the following day.

Heba Abu Taha is a prominent contributor to several local and regional news outlets, including Jordan Today, Al-Jazeera, Daraj, and Al-Araby al-Jadeed. Her work spans across these platforms, allowing her to provide insights and analysis on a wide range of topics to a diverse audience.

Understanding Jordan's media landscape 

Jordan is renowned for its political stability, setting it apart from neighboring countries. However, media professionals in Jordan tend to self-censor and adhere to implicit boundaries surrounding specific topics. The country's media landscape lacks significant independence, with several television channels, such as Al-Mamlaka, being semi-governmental. 

Since the revision of the media law in 2012, the authorities have tightened their control, particularly over the internet, blocking numerous websites. The 2015 cybercrime law has further enabled punishment, including imprisonment, for certain websites and social media posts. Journalists often face prosecution and even conviction under an ambiguously worded terrorism law.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Heba Abu Taha, expressing our condemnation of her arrest and welcoming her release after filing an appeal. We strongly urge the Jordanian government to drop all charges against the journalist and to reassess its laws pertaining to the protection of media freedom.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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