to cover online publications and news websites through amendments in 2011 and 2012 has been particular controversial and has led to the blocking of 100s of websites in the country.6 This Analysis provides an assessment of the 1998 Press and Publications Law (the Law), highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and making specific recommendations for reform as needed to bring it more fully into line with international standards and better practice. The Analysis refers to a number of leading international sources, including UNESCO’s Assessment of Media Development in Jordan: Based on UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators,7 the 2011 General Comment No. 34 by the UN Human Rights Committee,8 the series of Joint Declarations by the special international mandates (special rapporteurs) on freedom of expression,9 the regional declarations on freedom of expression adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights10 and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights,11 and various Council of Europe recommendations and declarations.12 1. Scope of the Law The very existence of special regulatory rules for the print media is a contested issue, with many established democracies not having any special legislation for this sector. International law does not necessarily rule out any special legal requirements for the print media, but these need to be carefully tailored to legitimate public and private needs. With this in mind, it may be noted that the scope of the Law is very broad indeed. It covers, in different places, not only periodicals (newspapers and magazines) but also electronic publications, specialised publications which are not necessarily periodic in nature, news agencies, printing presses, publishing houses, distribution houses, bookstores, public See, for example, Human Rights Watch, 4 June 2013, “Jordan: Rescind Order to Block Websites”, available at: http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/06/04/jordan-rescind-order-block-websites and Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), 24 June 2013, Comments on the Law Amending the Press and Publications Law of 2012, available at: http://www.law-democracy.org/live/wpcontent/uploads/2013/06/Jordan.PPLamendments.pdf. 7 July 2015. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-andinformation/resources/publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/assessment-ofmedia-development-in-jordan/. 8 Available at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CCPR%2fC%2fGC%2f34 &Lang=en. 9 Available at: http://www.osce.org/fom/66176. 10 Available at: http://www.achpr.org/sessions/32nd/resolutions/62/. 11 Available at: https://www.cidh.oas.org/declaration.htm. 12 Available at: http://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/adopted-texts. 6 Jordan: Analysis of the Press and Publications Law, 1998, as Amended - 5