Journalists criticise authorities for denying Majali bail

AMMAN — Scores of journalists on Thursday criticised the denial of bail for Al Rai columnist Abdulhadi Raji Majali, who was detained earlier this week over an article he posted on Facebook.

The journalists, who held a sit-in Thursday at the Jordan Press Association’s (JPA) headquarters, said there is no legal justification for refusing to release Majali on bail.

“We voice our solidarity with Majali and reaffirm our position that opposes the detention of journalists when it comes to issues related to publications,” JPA President Tareq Momani said at the sit-in.

“The authorities ignored the Press and Publications Law that prohibits the detention of journalists,” Momani added.

“Denying him bail is illegal. There are no valid reasons for not releasing him on bail,” he noted, adding that the JPA will continue working to secure the columnist’s release.

Momani said he asked Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour to intervene. “The government says it supports media freedoms, but we don’t want this to be just in words.”

Lawyer Abdullah Majali, who was present at the sit-in, said there is no legal justification to keep the columnist in custody.

“Authorities refuse to release someone on bail when he is a threat to society or when they fear for his life… Majali is a patriotic person who constantly wrote in defence of the country, its army and security institutions,” said the lawyer.

Voicing belief in the impartiality and transparency of the judiciary, he added that insistence on the columnist’s detention is not legally accepted.

The Amman prosecutor general on Sunday decided to detain Majali, who is also director of Al Hussein Cultural Centre, for one week at the Marka Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for an item he posted on Facebook related to the media approach of the government and security forces in the wake of the March 24 protest at the Interior Ministry Circle in 2011, which ended violently.

Amman Prosecutor General Abdullah Abul Ghanam on Tuesday referred the case to the Amman Court of First Instance.

Abul Ghanam decided to charge Majali with “divulging state secrets” in violation of the law and “verbal abuse” against an official entity.