Jordan's new press and publications law is a threat to free speech

 

Jordanians flocked to a public forum in one of the main squares in Amman and roundly condemned the government’s new internet restrictions.

Some 1,200 participants took part in the televised event, organized by the New Arab Debates  (NAD) in association with Diwaniyeh – a local youth group which holds street debates in Jordan, discussing controversial issues.

In a show of hands, 85 percent said the country’s new regulations endangered free speech – a swing of nearly 50 percent from the pre-debate vote.

The event, moderated by Egyptian TV presenter Mai El Sherbiny, marks the end of NAD’s second series and will be broadcast on six Arabic channels, including On TV in Egypt, Hannibal in Tunisia and Deutsche Welle Arabic service.

But it was not without incident.

According to one of the speakers, Muslim Brotherhood official Zaki Bani Irsheid, two Islamist activists, Tareq Khader and Thabet Assaf were seized by security agents as they left the square.

Officials were not immediately available for comment but NAD said it was investigating the report.

A second debate, recorded later in the shadow of the Roman Amphitheatre, discussed the Muslim Brotherhood’s position across the region, following the Egyptian Army’s removal of President Morsi’s administration.

This time just over half the audience – 51 percent – rejected the notion that the Brotherhood’s power and influence had been seriously damaged by events in Egypt.

The New Arab Debates are a high profile platform to foster democratic accountability after the 2011 revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.