JORDAN: INTERIOR MINISTER DEFENDS ADMINISTRATIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002553 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KJUS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN: INTERIOR MINISTER DEFENDS ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION REF: A. AMMAN 2490 ¶B. AMMAN 2451 ¶C. AMMAN 1885 ¶D. AMMAN 1746 Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) Minister of Interior Nayef Al Qadi defended the use of administrative detention during a November 21 workshop with the country's governors. Governors have the authority under the 1954 Crime Prevention Law to administratively detain citizens who "pose a danger to the public" without trial or indictment. The detention order can be up to one year but governors can impose new orders to prolong detention. Al Qadi told governors that administrative detention is not a threat to human rights but instead guarantees freedoms by providing the community security and stability. The workshop, arranged in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, included discussions on human rights terminology, application of the Crime Prevention Law, and differences between administrative and judicial detention. ¶2. (C) International and local human rights organizations and activists have long called for Jordan to end the practice of administrative detention. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both released reports in early 2009 that sharply criticized the application of the Crime Prevention Law. They condemned the use of vague detention criteria that can easily be abused by governors, and they specifically cited the practice of administratively imprisoning individuals in the absence of sufficient evidence to convict, prisoners whose sentences have expired, and women at risk of being victims of honor crimes (Note: Women allegedly involved in compromising personal circumstances may require protection from their own families in order prevent their probable murder. These women often languish for years in administrative detention. End Note.) Local human rights organizations also remain vocal. The National Center for Human Rights (NCHR),for instance, has called on the government to amend the 1954 legislation to ensure that administrative detention is "based on sound grounds and detention is only enforced upon a judicial order." NCHR's 2008 Human Rights Report indicates that around 12,000 Jordanians were administratively detained in 2008. ¶3. (C) Comment: Ministry of Interior and police contacts have repeatedly told Poloffs that governors generally only apply the Crime Prevention Law in special circumstances to protect the public and that the use of administrative detention is declining. They also point to the government's amnesty of nearly 400 administrative detainees during the year as evidence they understand concerns over the law's application. Al Qadi's statement appears to fly in the face of wide criticism of the Crime Prevention Law. The statement, however, comes in the wake of increased tribal and student violence and strong popular disapproval of the government's overall handling of the violence. In fact, many contacts and the media have voiced a lack of confidence in the government's ability to adequately guarantee safety. This sentiment may be the motivation for Al Qadi's strong defense of the Crime Prevention Law. If so, the Ministry is taking a defensive approach to tackle the elevated rate of social and tribal violence instead of working to improve its human rights record and gaining trust of citizens through transparent government mechanisms. The Minister appears to be gambling such statements will exude a feeling of security instead of eliciting a backlash from those that feel the rule of law in under attack. End Comment. Beecroft