BACKGROUND ON DETENTION OF PROFESSIONAL

UNCLAS AMMAN 000686

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM IS JO
SUBJECT: BACKGROUND ON DETENTION OF PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATION MEMBER ALI HATTAR

REF: A. AMMAN 571


B. 04 AMMAN 4629

C. 04 AMMAN 6771

D. 04 AMMAN 8868

E. 04 AMMAN 7619

F. 04 AMMAN 9437

G. 03 AMMAN 6119

H. 03 AMMAN 7268

I. 03 AMMAN 8321


1. (SBU) Background on the detention of Jordanian Ali Hattar
by GOJ authorities follows.


2. (U) After delivering a lecture on December 14, 2004 at
the professional associations headquarters in Amman, Hattar
was detained and charged with violating Article 191 of the
Penal Code for "slandering the government." Hattar's lecture
was entitled "Why We Boycott America" and reportedly
criticized U.S. foreign policy. The incident received
widespread local press coverage. Reports vary as to whether
he was held overnight or for three days. It is unclear how
Hattar is alleged to have defamed the government, or which of
Hattar's purported statements led to his detention. He had
criticized the government under former Prime Minister Ali
Abul Ragheb, which left office in October 2003, for being
oppressive. Hattar has denied the charges and court
proceedings are ongoing.


3. (U) Hattar is a member of the Jordan Engineers Association
and the Professional Associations Council's
Anti-Normalization Committee, which organized the lecture.
The Anti-Normalization Committee opposes the Jordan-Israel
peace treaty. A Jordanian court recently ruled that the
Committee's campaigns against the treaty and its blacklisting
of Jordanians that allegedly had contacts or dealings with
Israel constituted political activities (reftels). Ref A
reported Hattar's case in the context of the ongoing struggle
between the government, spearheaded by Interior Minister
Habashneh, and the professional associations.


4. (SBU) The detention of Hattar is included in the current
draft of the 2004 Human Rights Report on Jordan.
HALE