CONFIDENTIAL
JORDAN
Report by HM Embassy, Amman
Right No.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
Rating suggested by Post
Martial law still formally pre- vails in Jordan. In practice this means that the Governor of Amman can imprison offenders without trial for short periods, but this is now uncommon. The General In- telligence Department does however continue to imprison suspected Palestinian terrorists without trial, although the numbers held have decreased considerably since the events of 1970. The present number is about 60.
Comment by Near East & North African Dept A rating of six seems on the high side considering that the number of suspected terrorists held with- out trial is decreasing and in view of incidents such as the recent outrage at the Amman Intercontinen- tal Hotel.
So far as we can tell torture is no longer practised, in contrast with the period 1967-70.
There is no slavery in Jordan.
The press are closely monitored by the Ministry of Information and any newspaper going seriously against the government line is closed. The Ministry of Information also control the editorial line of the radio and TV stations in so far as their cov- erage of internal matters, inter- Arab relations and the Arab/Israel question is concerned.
The judiciary is independent, al- though pressure might be brought to bear upon the judge where the in- terests of the royal family are con- cerned.
6
1
O
5
CONFIDENTIAL
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