who is allegedly a Qatari prince sitting, dancing, and showering with several women. The two journalists were detained and denied bail. On September 30, police arrested Hirak activists Humam Qufaisha, Ayman al-Bahrawi, and Diyya’ al-Din al-Shalabi. Officials referred them for trial to the State Security Court on charges of “disturbing relations with a foreign state.” They are accused of distributing posters carrying the word Raba` , a reference to a square in Cairo where Muslim Brotherhood protesters were dispersed by security forces on August 14, their lawyer told Human Rights Watch. Al-Bahrawi faces additional charges of “lengthening the tongue” (penal code article 195) and “insulting foreign leaders” (penal code article 122), apparently based on messages he sent via the social networking application WhatsApp, the lawyer said. Human Rights Watch opposes the creation and use of special courts to try national security crimes. National security courts are frequently authorized by law to conduct trials in a manner that restricts the rights of defendants beyond what is permissible under international human rights law. In a number of countries, regular criminal courts have proven very effective in prosecuting terrorism offenses in accordance with international due process standards. Restricting the Jordanian State Security Court’s jurisdiction over civilians should be a step toward abolishing the court, Human Rights Watch said. Freedom of expression is guaranteed under article 15 of Jordan’s constitution. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Jordan is a state party, protects the right to freedom of expression, including “freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice” (article 19). International law allows only narrowly defined restrictions on these rights that conform with the law and are necessary in a democratic society for national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals, or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. “Jordan’s promises to stop sending civilians for trial before the State Security Court for speech-related crimes ring hollow when they won’t even put a moratorium on the practice while revising the law,” Stork said. “It’s time for Jordan to make reform real by fixing its outdated penal code.” Region / Country Middle East/North Africa, Jordan Tags Freedom of expression and association MORE READING October 10, 2017 | Letter Human Rights Watch Submission to the CEDAW Committee of Israel’s Periodic Report 68th Session October 10, 2017 | Letter Human Rights Watch Submission to the CEDAW Committee of Kuwait’s Periodic Report for the 68th Session REPORTS October 3, 2017 “These are the Crimes we are Fleeing” Justice for Syria in Swedish and German Courts October 2, 2017 converted by Web2PDFConvert.com