‘Press association stands behind Al Ghad chief editor’

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association (JPA) on Wednesday voiced support for Al Ghad Editor-in-Chief Jumana Ghneimat, who was summoned by the Amman prosecutor general for publishing an article criticising the behaviour of some Lower House members.

“We are in solidarity with Ghneimat and the article she published falls under the objective freedom of opinion,” JPA President Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times.

On Tuesday, Amman Prosecutor General Judge Rami Tarawneh summoned Ghneimat on charges of violating articles of the Press and Publications Law in an opinion piece she published last month.

In her article titled “We are bored with the show… Stop it”, Ghneimat slammed deputies who take advantage of their positions to fulfil personal interests. 

“Some MPs claim to be fighting corruption, while they are deeply involved in corruption,” she wrote. 

Some MPS, Ghneimat said, “give statements to the media that they are defenders of public money and of people’s rights, while they are after securing some deal or getting some personal benefits”.

Tarawneh summoned Ghneimat on charges that the column is in violation of Article 5 and 7 of the Press and Publications Law. 

Article 5 reads: “Publications shall respect the truth and refrain from publishing anything that conflicts with the principles of freedom, national responsibility, human rights, and values of the Arab and Islamic nation,” while Paragraph C in Article 7 says journalists’ work should include “maintaining balance, objectivity and honesty in presenting press material”. 

The charges also included defaming an official entity.

Ghneimat denied all charges that were based on a lawsuit filed against her by an anonymous plaintiff, according to Al Ghad daily.

“I read Ghneimat’s column. It is objective and it falls under the freedom of opinion. There is no slander in it at all,” Momani said over the phone.

“We reject slander or defamation of any entity, but we believe this column falls within objective criticism.”

The JPA president reiterated a call for amending the press law, which he said includes several “loosely worded” articles that can be interpreted differently.

“Our legal team is ready to help and support Ghneimat,” Momani said.