MPs approve senators’ amendments to 2019 general pardon draft law

AMMAN — The Lower House on Monday approved the Senate's amendments to the general pardon draft law, paving the way for the final ratification of the 2019 bill.

The Senate on Sunday referred the pardon law to the Lower House, disagreeing with MPs on a number of provisions, including crimes against authorities.

In case senators have no further changes upon receiving the general pardon law for the second time, the bill will be constitutionally sent to the King for ratification. 

In their session on Monday, deputies went back on their previous decision to pardon attacks on public employees providing that victims drop their personal rights, approving instead senators' proposal to exclude such crimes from the law with the justification that legal rights in such cases usually fall to the state rather than the victims.

Both Houses of Parliament agreed to pardon some of the offences stipulated in the 2016 Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law with the aim of helping drug abusers resume normal lives and reintegrate them into the society.

Senators agreed with MPs to grant full exemptions from fines, penalties and disciplinary measures to crimes and violations committed before His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to the government to issue the law on December 13, 2018.

Among crimes that would be excluded from the general pardon were those related to state security, forming or joining illegal organisations and espionage, in addition to theft and forgery.

Some manslaughter cases were also included on the list of crimes to be pardoned which cover, respectively, killing a person to facilitate or escape the punishment for a misdemeanour and manslaughter perpetrated by several people.

The King had called for giving wrongdoers an opportunity to find the right path and correct their conduct, especially as other people have suffered financially from their misconduct, in solidarity with citizens who are going through difficult conditions.