Local

AMMAN — Lower House on Tuesday endorsed the draft anti-terrorism law, maintaining the death penalty for certain crimes tagged as terror acts.

In a rare case concerning such an important law, the lawmakers debated the bill and okayed it in one day, through morning and evening meetings.

This swift endorsement by the Lower House was due to the fact that Parliament will end its current ordinary session on May 3, with only two meetings left on the agenda, according to Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh. 

Those who commit terrorist crimes that result in the death of innocent people, partial or total damage of facilities and buildings, and entail the use of explosives, poisons, chemical, biochemical or radioactive materials, face the death sentence, according to the draft bill.

But violations of a milder nature are punishable by five years to life imprisonment, the draft bill stipulates.

Meanwhile, a provision in the draft bill states that a person who joins or builds contacts with armed groups and militias, or attempts to recruit others to these illegal organisations, inside or outside the country, will be penalised.

The Lower House also agreed on a provision stipulating that financial activities in support of terrorist or extremist groups, inside or outside the country, will be labelled acts of terrorism that fall under the jurisdiction of this law.

Among the crimes listed under this terrorist bill are any acts that expose Jordan to aggression or harm its relations with foreign countries.

Using the Internet, establishing websites or publishing any materials with the intent of facilitating, supporting or encouraging terrorist activities also fall under the bill, as endorsed by the MPs.

In addition, dealing with, manufacturing, holding or storing explosives of any type for the purpose of using them in terrorist crimes is similarly subject to the punishments entailed in the draft bill.

Another article says that any attempt on the life of the King, the Queen or Crown Prince, or any act that entails armed insurgency against legitimate authorities is listed as a terrorist crime.

During the morning session, Minister of Interior Hussein Majali said the draft bill considers only hostile actions against legitimate authorities as terrorist crime, “but not those against illegitimate authorities”.

His remarks came in response to several MPs’ remarks on excluding actions of resistance against Israeli authorities from this bill.

“The [Israeli] occupation is not a legitimate authority,” hence resisting it is not considered an act of terrorism, Majali explained.

MP Mohammed Saudi, head of the Lower House Financial Committee, said that certain provisions in this draft bill hold people accountable for their intentions only.

However, Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni defended the draft bill saying it will help judges when they deal with crimes related to terrorism, noting it determines specific penalties for well-identified terrorist activities.

AMMAN — Media freedom in Jordan witnessed a further decline in 2013 compared to 2012, according to a report issued by the Jordan Press Association (JPA).

Blocking hundreds of news websites, limited access to information for journalists and trying media workers before military-run courts were the key factors that adversely affected the level of press freedom last year, JPA President Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times Tuesday, citing the report’s findings.

On a scale of 100, press freedom in Jordan ranked 44.15 in 2013 compared with 51 in 2012, said Momani.

“The reason behind the decline in press freedom is the fact that the Press and Publications Law entered into force. Subsequently, the government blocked several unlicensed websites,” he noted.

In mid-2013, the government sent a list of more than 281 unlicensed news sites to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, which, in turn, requested Internet Service Providers to block them.

“The law has many restrictions that limit the freedom of press,” said Momani.

Highlighting major challenges to press freedom in 2013, the report cited restricted access to information as a top problem journalists faced in the said year. 

Not inviting journalists to official events came third in terms of obstacles and was followed by interference in their work, according to the JPA report, which said that censorship and not publishing journalists’ reports were among the key obstacles.

“In 2013, some journalists were imprisoned and detained by the State Security Court (SSC), which violated the Constitution and significantly affected the media freedom level last year,” said Momani.

Nidal Mansour, president of the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists, said media freedom declined in 2013 because the media sector is governed by legislation that restricts press freedom.

“Detaining journalists and assaulting them declined in 2013. In 2011 and 2012, there were more demonstrations on the streets and many journalists then were arrested or assaulted, but the level of demonstrations in 2013 declined,” said Mansour.

“However, there was an increase in self-censorship and the trend to limit access to information also rose in 2013. There is also a problem in the ambiguous laws regulating the media sector,” he added.

The media experts called for a thorough revision of laws governing the media sector to ensure more freedom. 

AMMAN — The absence of justice and a lack of respect for human rights and dignity are the major challenges that threaten the security and stability of communities, HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Thought Forum (ATF), said on Tuesday.

During the second roundtable meeting organised by ATF in cooperation with the National Defence University of Pakistan, the prince discussed methods to rebuild “human security” in a region affected by growing geo-political threats.

Major challenges await human security in West Asia and Africa, surpassing what the region has faced so far, Prince Hassan said, calling for creating a nurturing environment for objective discussions on human dignity.

Human security and dignity are no longer getting the international attention they require, the prince noted.

He also referred to the social and economic challenges of hosting Syrian refugees in Jordan, in addition to refugees from other nations. 

Receiving several waves of refugees and migrant workers places huge burdens on Jordan that require the international community to take “an honest stand” and offer further support to the Kingdom, Prince Hassan said.

He also reviewed the environmental effects of wars on human security and their impact on natural resources and desertification.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Jordan Ahsan Azhar Hayat praised Prince Hassan’s efforts in bringing together the views of the world’s peoples.

At the beginning of the meeting, ATF Secretary General Elsadig Bakheet Elfaqih reviewed its purpose and importance as a continuation of ATF’s interaction with international specialised centres to show the world the reality of the region.

AMMAN — Efforts should be exerted to stop the recurrent sabotage and violations against archaeological sites in the Kingdom, officials said on Tuesday.

Munther Jamhawi, director general of the Department of Antiquities (DoA), said the country’s archaeological sites should be preserved and protected from vandals and thieves, and not only through the “traditional methods”.

“Archaeology is one of the country’s treasures, and it is our responsibility to preserve it,” Jamhawi said at a ceremony to announce the launch of the “Our heritage is our identity… Let’s protect it” campaign.

The DoA official explained that adopting new methods to protect historical sites will help the concerned authorities, who seize many stolen and smuggled artefacts every year.

Launched in cooperation with the Higher Council for Youth, the campaign seeks to train more than 30,000 school and university students to help authorities raise awareness on the importance of the country’s heritage and archaeology.

Young Jordanians can play an important role in protecting the Kingdom’s heritage, Jamhawi said.

Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine shared the views of the DoA director general, stressing the importance of protecting archaeological sites and noting that they provide a source of income to the country.

Throughout the campaign, which will be officially launched on May 1 and run until the end of the year, partners will organise 30 days of training for the participants.

The workshops will take place at major archaeological sites, according to DoA officials.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, an exhibition at Al Hussein Youth City showcased stolen archaeological pieces that authorities managed to retrieve and others that were brought back to the country after being smuggled abroad.

AMMAN — The country will be affected by a hot air mass on Wednesday, forecast to push temperatures nine degrees above their annual average for this time of the year, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The hot air mass, centred over Sinai, is expected to peak on Thursday and Friday, when temperatures will start dropping at night, a meteorologist said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a slight rise in temperatures is expected, and the weather will be fair in hilly areas and warm across the country. 

Temperatures in Amman will reach a high of 28°C during the day and drop to a low of 17°C at night, while winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly moderate, the JMD said.

A further rise is expected on Thursday as the impact of the hot air mass deepens, the meteorologist told The Jordan Times.

“Temperatures on Thursday will be nine degrees above their annual average of 23°C during this time of the year. The weather will be relatively hot as mercury levels will reach 32°C during the day and drop to 21°C at night in the capital.”

On Friday, the weather will remain relatively hot, with temperatures in Amman ranging between a maximum of 31°C and a minimum of 14°C.

“Such temperatures are relatively high for this time of the year, especially since summer hasn’t started yet,” the weather forecaster noted, adding that the impact of the hot air mass will ease off starting Friday night.

Temperatures on Saturday are expected to be around their annual average during this time of the year, the meteorologist said, noting that daytime mercury levels will be 25°C.

AMMAN — Although Syrian children at the Zaatari Refugee Camp will still push wheelbarrows around to sell goods, they can now take pride in colourfully decorated carts that they themselves have painted. 

The “Colours of Resilience” project, which was implemented by the Awareness and Prevention Through Art (aptArt) group and the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), attempts to utilise street art and mural painting to replace thoughts of war and death with ones of joy and hope.

Syrian, Jordanian and international artists engaged over 2,000 youngsters, who reflected in their paintings things they learned in workshops about health, hygiene, conflict resolution and hope for the future, according to project organisers.

The workshops, which recently concluded, targeted Syrian refugees in Zaatari and Cyber City, as well as the local community in the Irbid, Jerash, Ajloun and Mafraq governorates, to promote the theme of coexistence. 

“One of the main aims of our project is to ensure social cohesion between the two communities,” Suranga Mallawa, deputy country director of ACTED in Jordan, said at a film screening last Thursday depicting the project’s activities. 

Mental health organisations, she said, must address the issue of war trauma on Syrian refugees in the Kingdom and provide them with psychological support.

Samantha Robison, founder of aptART, said street art is a powerful tool for self expression and it is “no longer exclusive to graffiti and vandalism”. 

The project has so far produced 56 murals, according to Robison, who noted that organisers first held focus groups with adults in the host community to list the main challenges their children face. These outlines then became key themes of the project.

“We tried to engage all children,” she said at a discussion that took place at the French Institute after the film screening, adding that painting was a successful way to engage many children, “even the tough ones who were trying to earn a living through their wheelbarrows”.

The event included an exhibition of selected photographs and paintings from the project, which is running for a second year in Jordan.

Joel Bergner, an artist and activist who worked in motivational initiatives in countries like Brazil, Cuba, Kenya, Poland and the US, said the project is important because it teaches children concrete ideas and allows them to express themselves through painting.

“Art is a tool to uplift these children and the entire community, and to cultivate positivity in them,” he told The Jordan Times.

The project is supported by UNICEF and the European Commission’s humanitarian aid and civil protection department.

AMMAN — The Mujib Biosphere Reserve has reopened for another adventure season with additional safety measures in place to protect its visitors, according to its director, Hisham Dheisat.

“The new safety measures and regulations were introduced after the formation of the water valleys changed during winter,” Dheisat told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Although the wet season was generally dry, the Kingdom’s southern and eastern regions received abundant rain, he said.

“Heavy rain caused flash floods that brought along so much soil. This has caused the formation of three to four new pools with depths ranging between five and seven metres and a length of 100 metres,” Dheisat added.

A growing eco-tourist destination for hiking and camping, the Mujib reserve is home to high-altitude summits and waterfalls. It closes every winter due to flash floods and rising water levels in its valleys and trails, reopening in spring.

Ropes that assist visitors hiking along the water valleys and up the waterfalls, as well as warning signs at dangerous locations, and the deployment of lifeguards and Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel on weekends are standard safety measures at the reserve.

Before the start of every adventure season, a specialised safety team is dispatched to the reserve to inspect the condition of the trails and to re-evaluate their risk levels. 

The team usually recommends adding more ropes and closing certain areas to avoid accidents, especially since the water levels of hiking trails — which involve both climbing and swimming — differ every year depending on the amount of rainfall during winter.

“This year, we have added three to four lifeguards to be stationed at every pool. They are available at all times. In addition, another four lifeguards from the CDD are deployed on weekends to ensure the safety of our visitors,” Dheisat said.

Wearing a life jacket has always been obligatory while hiking in the water valleys; however, some tourists take them off, he noted, adding that starting this year, those who do not keep their life jackets on at all times will get a refund and be escorted out of the reserve.

“In addition, it is now important for visitors to know how to swim when entering the Siq trail because of the formation of new pools.”

Covering an area of 220 square kilometres, the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is home to seasonal and permanent rivers that flow through several valleys, as well as ponds and waterfalls.

The reserve’s administration briefs visitors on the difficulties along the trails, according to the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), which obliges tourists to wear life vests and sign waivers indicating they are aware of potential hazards on the trails and absolve the reserve of any liability. 

Three large catchments — Wadi Mujib, Wadi Hidan and Wadi Zarqa — characterise the area’s complex drainage system with its permanent water flow throughout the year.

The richest vegetation is found in the wadi beds, including oleander, palm, wild fig and tamarix trees, as well as reed beds along riverbanks, according to the RSCN.

Surveys indicate that Mujib, the lowest-altitude nature reserve in the world, is home to over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores, and numerous species of resident and migratory birds.

Bordered by the Rift Valley, the world’s second-most used flyway, which hosts more than 1.5 million migratory birds during the spring and autumn, the reserve is strategically important for bird migration.

MAFRAQ — Jordan is doing its best to cope with the large number of Syrian refugees, but the international community should work to end the conflict in Syria, Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal said during a visit to the Zaatari Refugee Camp on Tuesday.

“Jordan is doing its best in alleviating the sufferings of the 1.3 million refugees [who have found sanctuary] in the country but, at the same time, the international community has to work on finding a final solution for the crisis in Syria,” the Saudi billionaire told reporters.

Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq have taken in the majority of the 2.5 million Syrians who fled their country since the onset of the conflict in March 2011, with around 600,000 of them living in the Kingdom, according to UN figures, but unofficial figures suggest they could amount to one million.

“What I saw today is heartbreaking but at the same time I appreciate what Jordan and the UN agencies have done because the services provided are the best possible,” the Saudi prince said after visiting families and camp facilities with UNICEF officials.

The Zaatari camp in Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, has grown since its inception as a desert camp of 5,000 to the Kingdom’s fourth largest population centre with about 107,000 residents.

The prince, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and the owner of international investment firm Kingdom Holding, is a closely watched figure in international markets with investments spanning from Citigroup, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., to Twitter and General Motors.

Prince Al Waleed has been funnelling support to Syrian refugees since 2012 via his philanthropic foundations and UN agencies like UNICEF and UNHCR with donations totalling 7.5 million Saudi riyals (around JD1.4 million).

“We have been following and supporting the refugees' cause for a long time. We are very familiar with what is happening. I thought we should be here personally to evaluate the situation and see first-hand, and I was really impressed by the services provided by the government...” the prince said.

“Jordan, together with UN agencies and the support of the whole world and — more specifically — the Arab world and Saudi Arabia, has managed to create a lot of comfort for the refugees. 

"However, no matter how welcoming Jordan is, we all hope they will go back to their country as they are putting pressure on a country with limited resources,” he added.

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents have arrested a Syrian man who allegedly attempted to smuggle 700,000 Captagon pills to a neighbouring country, a source said Tuesday.

The suspect, who was not identified, was recently arrested by AND agents while attempting to hand over the illegal shipment to a Jordanian trailer truck driver, according to a senior AND official.

“We received a tip that this man was attempting to smuggle the illegal pills to Saudi Arabia, so we placed him under constant surveillance,” the official told The Jordan Times.

On Saturday, the official added, a unit moved to arrest the suspect while he was on his way to deliver the shipment to the trailer truck driver and another man.

“We did not manage to arrest the other two suspects, both Jordanians, but we have a good idea about their identity and we will arrest them soon.”

The suspect was detained at a correctional facility and will be referred to the State Security Court prosecution for further questioning, according to the official.

AMMAN — In a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday, the University of Jordan (UJ) awarded Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal an honorary doctorate in international business.

Prince Al Waleed was granted this degree in recognition of his regional and international efforts in the fields of business, economic development, administration, tourism and media, according to a statement released by the Queen’s office.

During the ceremony, which was held on the university’s campus, the prince addressed attendees after receiving the degree from UJ President Ekhleif Tarawneh.

Prince Al Waleed expressed his gratitude to Her Majesty and the attendees for their hospitality and support. 

Thanking UJ for “this honour”, he said it proves that the university’s vision is in tune with that of his institutions, putting development before profit.

The prince also praised the Kingdom for the role it has been playing throughout the years in hosting refugees from war-torn neighbouring Arab countries. 

Despite Jordan’s scarce resources, it has welcomed suffering refugees with open arms, he said.

Moreover, the prince praised UJ for its academic accomplishments, which have put the university on the international map, noting that UJ’s achievements are a reflection of its continuous efforts to improve standards and bring in the latest technologies.

Tarawneh said the council of deans at UJ chose to honour Prince Al Waleed to acknowledge his leadership in entrepreneurship, business, investment and media. 

He added that the prince is a role model when it comes to pushing for cross-cultural dialogue between Muslims and other cultures to promote peace and understanding.

Several officials attended the ceremony, in addition to a number of regional diplomats and academics.

Later on Tuesday, Prince Al Waleed visited the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, to get a first-hand look at the situation of Syrian refugees in Jordan.