KING ABDULLAH CLOSES AL-JAFR PRISON

UNCLAS AMMAN 009071 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM JO SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH CLOSES AL-JAFR PRISON REF: A. AMMAN 1503 ¶B. AMMAN 2657 ¶C. AMMAN 4396 ¶D. AMMAN 4982 ¶1. (U) KING ABDULLAH ANNOUNCED DECEMBER 17 THAT AL-JAFR PRISON, LOCATED IN THE DESERT APPROXIMATELY 260 KM SOUTH OF AMMAN, WOULD BE CLOSED AND TRANSFORMED INTO A VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER. IN REMARKS MADE AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (NCHR) THE KING EMPHASIZED THE NEED TO IMPROVE PRISON CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT JORDAN, STRESSING THAT A PRISON IS NOT ONLY A PLACE FOR PUNISHMENT BUT ALSO FOR REHABILITATION. ¶2. (SBU) BUILT IN 1952, AL-JAFR WAS ONE OF THE OLDEST PRISONS OPERATED BY THE PUBLIC SECURITY DIRECTORATE (PSD). JORDANIAN AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ALLEGED THAT THE LIVING AND SANITATION CONDITIONS AT AL-JAFR WERE BELOW INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. POOR PRISON CONDITIONS HAVE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC ATTENTION IN JORDAN OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND CONTRIBUTED TO RIOTS AND HUNGER STRIKES IN MULTIPLE FACILITIES (REF'S A AND B). NOTE: NO RIOTS OR HUNGER STRIKES OCCURRED IN AL-JAFR ITSELF. END NOTE. ACCORDING TO THE NCHR, AL-JAFR PRISON HAS HAD NO INMATES FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS. ¶3. (SBU) PSD DIRECTOR LT. GENERAL MOHAMMAD MAJED AL-EITAN EARLIER TOLD THE AMBASSADOR ON DECEMBER 14 THAT THE PRISON WOULD CLOSE SOON. IN THE MEETING, EITAN ALSO SAID THAT THE PSD WOULD OUTLINE A STRATEGIC PLAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS IN PRISONS THROUGHOUT JORDAN BEGINNING IN EARLY 2007. IN PUBLIC STATEMENTS, EITAN HAS BLAMED OVER-CROWDING FOR POOR CONDITIONS IN PRISONS. THE PSD HAS PLANS TO INCREASE CAPACITY BY OPENING THREE NEW REHABILITATION CENTERS IN THE NEXT YEAR: ONE IN AL-MUWAQQAR, ONE IN UMM AL LU'LU', AND ONE IN THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY. AS THESE NEW FACILITIES ARE BUILT, OTHER, OLDER PRISONS MAY BE SHUT DOWN. ¶4. (SBU) HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS AND NGOS WELCOMED THE KING'S ANNOUNCEMENT. ALLEGATIONS OF MALTREATMENT AT AL-JAFR WERE RIFE. JAFR ALSO MADE NEWS WHEN FOUR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO WERE ARRESTED FOLLOWING THEIR VISIT TO ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI,S CONDOLENCE TENT WERE DETAINED THERE (REF C). IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, AL-JAFR WAS VISITED BY THE UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR TORTURE (REF D),AND BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. THE NCHR CALLED FOR THE CLOSURE OF THE PRISON LAST YEAR, AND THE KING DECIDED TO CLOSE IT AFTER VISITING THE PREMISES. STATE NEWS AGENCY PETRA REPORTED THAT THE NCHR "PAID TRIBUTE TO THE ROYAL DECISION SAYING 'AL-JAFR (IS) BEHIND US FROM THIS MOMENT". VISIT AMMANS CLASSIFIED WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/AMMAN/ RUBINSTEIN