Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has urged the state security court to withdraw its case against Fayez al-Ajrashi, editor-in-chief of privately-owned weekly El-Ekhbariya.
Al-Ajrashi, who was released from Al-Juweida prison (15 km south of Amman) on November 2 after paying 3,000 dinars (approx 3,300 euros) in bail. Al-Ajrashi is still facing charges of "inflaming sectarian strife" and "sowing national discord."
"We are relieved to learn of Al-Ajrashi's release but he is still threatened by a prosecution that has all the appearance of a reprisal," Paris-based RSF said on Tuesday. "Bringing a libel suit before a state security court, which is meant to try treason and terrorism cases, is an abuse of power and a denial of justice."
Al-Ajrashi was arrested on October 28 and charged by the state security court's chief prosecutor under Article 150 of the criminal code, which carries a possible three-year prison sentence. He is also being sued for libel in a civil court by Amman governor Saad Wadi Al-Munasir. The court held an initial hearing in the suit on November 2 and read out the charges.
Al-Ajrashi told RSF that both complaints were linked to a series of articles in recent months in which he criticised the governor's record and exposed cases of corruption in the capital.
"We are disturbed by the criminal prosecution of a journalist who reported in the public interest, and we are utterly dismayed that this is taking place in a military court," Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Executive Director Joel Simon said prior to al-Ajrashi's release. "The case against al-Ajrashi should be dropped immediately before it does further damage to Jordan's press freedom record."
In a similar case, former parliamentarian Ahmad Oweidi Abbadi was sentenced by the state security court in October 2007 to two years in prison on a charge of "attacking the state's prestige and reputation" for criticising government corruption on his website.
