HRW criticises jail sentence over Facebook post

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on December 7 sentenced a Jordanian professor to a two-year imprisonment for criticisms posted on social media, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Sunday in a statement.

The SSC convicted Iyad Qunaibi, a 39-year-old Islamist activist, of a terrorism charge based solely on a Facebook post in which he criticised what he perceived as un-Islamic developments in Jordan, HRW said, adding that the post did not advocate violence.

“Jordan’s claims that it respects free expression aren’t credible when an innocuous Facebook post can land someone in jail for two years,” the statement quoted HRW Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson as saying. “Jordanian authorities should halt prosecutions for peaceful speech and ensure that the country does not backslide on basic rights,” she added.