ARTICLE 19 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR FREE EXPRESSION intended purpose of the Law. We urge reconsideration of the classification of all official documents as “ordinary documents” which are excluded from public view. This is a category of classification which does not have any justification. We outline our comments and reccomendations on Article 10 below at Section 3.3.1. The related issues regarding which persons are authorised to classify information and the need for a review mechanism are addressed at Sections 3.3 and 3.5 below. Recommendation • The definitions of “department” and “protected secrets and document” should be amended as outlined above. 3.3 Restrictions on access - classification of information 3.3.1 Categories of classification Article 3, which protects the most sensitive information, provides that protected secrets or documents shall be classified as ‘strictly confidential’ if it contains: a. Any information the disclose of its contents to persons whose nature of work does not require access thereto, retaining or possessing thereof would lead to the occurrence of serious damages to the internal or external security of the State or (provide) great benefit to any other State which would form or may form a threat to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. b. Plans and details of military operations, public security or general intelligence measures or any plan of general relation to military operations or internal security measures, whether economic, production, supply, construction or transportation. c. Highly important and serious political documents relating to international relations, agreements, conventions and all relating discussions and studies therewith. d. Information and documents relating to the methods of military intelligence, general intelligence, counter intelligence, espionage resistance or any information affecting the sources of military intelligence and general intelligence or persons working therein. e. Very important information relating to arms, ammunition or any other source of defence force whose disclosure forms a threat to the internal or external security of the State. Article 6 classifies any secrets or protected documents as ‘confidential’ containing: a. Any important information, the disclosure of the context thereof to persons whose nature of work does not require having access thereto, would lead to a threat to the security of the State, cause damage to its interests or be of great benefit to any foreign State or any other party. b. Any information on the sites for piling the defence or economic materials or vital institutions relating to sources of power whenever it touches upon the security of the State. c. Any information on the movement of the armed forces or public security. d. Any information on the weapons and forces of the sister Arabic States. Article 8 classifies information as ‘restricted’ if it contains: Memorandum on Jordan’s Protection of State Secrets and Documents Provisional Law No. (50) for the Year 1971ARTICLE 19, London, 2005 – Index Number: LAW/2005/1205 - 10 -