Jail and fines reach those who send false news in Jordan

Jordan’s official news agency, PETRA, announced that King Abdullah II had approved 6 bills.

It was indicated that 6 bills, including the “cyber crime” bill, are expected to be published in the Official Gazette to come into force.

Article 15 of the “Cybercrimes” bill requires at least 3 months for those who commit various acts, including deliberately sending false news to anyone via the Internet or social media platforms, republishing or sending false news published or sent by other person. slander or humiliation imprisonment and fines ranging from 5,000 (approximately $7,000) to 20,000 dinars (approximately $28,000).

The bill in question sparked widespread protests at the end of July, with calls from some unions and parties, and calls for its cancellation. The protesters had called on King Abdullah II to cancel the bill, which they called “reactionary”.

The Jordanian government, for its part, stated that the aim of the 41-article regulation is not to “restrict freedoms”, but to combat issues such as “false information”, “hate speech” and “defamation of people on the Internet”. . (AA)