Report on government human rights procedures launched

AMMAN — Basel Tarawneh, the government’s human rights coordinator, on Wednesday announced the launch of the additional informative report on government procedures implemented by some public institutions in the human rights field.

On Jordan’s efforts in fighting torture, Tarawneh said that the Kingdom amended the definition of torture in the Penal Code in 2014 to define it  as “a punishment, threatening and duress”, in accordance with the International Convention against Torture, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Regarding the precautionary confinement preceding pre-trial detention, he said the step was part of the recommendations formulated by the Royal Committee for Developing the Judiciary and Enhancing the Rule of Law, which aims at developing penal justice and executing rulings.

As for the detention circumstances, the coordinator noted that the committee’s recommendations also included procedures to ease overcrowding in correctional and rehabilitation centres and to improve inmates’ conditions inside the centres.

Regarding confessions under duress, Tarawneh said that Article 159 of the penal trial law stipulated the invalidity of confessions made under coercion, which should be dropped from any confession statement.

He highlighted the establishment of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) under an agreement between the Labour Ministry and the Public Security Department, underlining that lawmakers provided protection for domestic helpers under the labour law and other affiliated regulations.

As for Jordan’s efforts in hosting refugees, he said that the Kingdom has been a safe haven for refugees from Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan, among others, noting that Jordan has refugees of more than 45 nationalities, amounting to around three million people.

On public institutions efforts, Tarawneh stated that the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs encouraged voters to participate in the recent local elections, for its being a political and civil right mentioned in the Constitution and international conventions. 

The National Council for Family Affairs adopted important procedures in enhancing and protecting women’s rights through providing them a safe environment within the family, workplace and society as a whole, the coordinator concluded.