| Jordan Shuts Al-Jazeera TV Office Wed Aug 7,
3:35 PM ET
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - The government shut down the office of the Al-Jazeera
satellite news channel Wednesday, accusing the station of provoking
"sedition" by airing views critical of the kingdom's rulers.
Information Minister Mohammad Affash Adwan said the license allowing
the station to operate in Jordan and accreditation of Al-Jazeera's correspondents
were revoked.
The closure comes a day after Al-Jazeera aired a talk-show program in which
a U.S.-based Palestinian university professor, Assad Abu-Khalil, rebuked
Jordan's late King Hussein and his grandfather, King Abdullah I.
Abu-Khalil accused Jordan of pro-Israeli stances even before it signed a
peace treaty with Israel in 1994. He also claimed that Hussein, who died of
cancer in 1999, had cooperated with the U.S. intelligence apparatus.
The program, "Opposite Direction," has often stirred controversy in Arab
capitals because of its liberal and critical approach to Arab politics and
leadership. Al-Jazeera has run into problems with authorities in other Arab
countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain.
Unlike state-run media, the station often airs views of local opposition
figures and their criticisms of the countries' rulers. Open criticism of
ruling families is unusual in the Arab world.
In Doha, Qatar, where the channel is based, Al-Jazzera news editor Saeed
al-Shouri called the Jordanian action unjustified.
"Our presenter didn't criticize Jordan. A guest on the program did, but he
doesn't represent the channel," he told The Associated Press. "It is not the
first time for an Arab country to act against us, but we objectively tackle
hot issues of the Arab nation's interest and if they (the Arab governments)
can't handle that, then it is their problem."
Adwan said Al-Jazeera "continuously intends to harm Jordan and its national
stands whether directly or indirectly."
"This station has exceeded all professional and moral values in dealing with
many national issues," he said in remarks carried by the official Petra news
agency.
He said the station had targeted Jordan "in a way which confirms that its
main goal is to create disturbance ... and provoke sedition."
http://www.cpj.org/protests/02ltrs/Jordan08aug02pl.html
JORDAN: CPJ protests government closure of Al-Jazeera's Amman bureau
August 8, 2002
---------------------------------------------------------
His Excellency Ali Abu al-Ragheb
Prime Minister
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Amman, Jordan
Via facsimile: 962-6-464-2520
---------------------------------------------------------
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly protests your government's closure of the Amman bureau of the Qatar-based satellite television channel Al-Jazeera. On August 7, Information Minister Muhammad Adwan revoked the station's license to operate in Jordan and barred its staff from working for the station in the country. The move came after a guest on that day's broadcast of the debate program "Opposite Direction" criticized Jordan's relationship with Israel.
International reports said Adwan accused the station of inciting "sedition" in Jordan and "defaming" the royal family.
Staff at the station said they only learned about the closure after the official news agency Petra reported the minister's statements.
Regrettably, this is not the first time Jordanian authorities have censored the station. In 1998, the Amman bureau was shut down for several weeks after participants in another talk show debate criticized Jordan. The closure of Al-Jazeera's office clearly violates basic international norms for free expression and also contradicts the public statements of Jordanian officials who have supported freedom of expression; His Majesty King Abdullah has repeatedly stated over the years that "the sky is the limit" for press freedom in Jordan.
However, the government's intolerance of critical discourse, demonstrated by this most recent closure, indicates that Jordan is far from achieving basic standards of press freedom that are the hallmark of open societies.
As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, CPJ urges you to ensure that Al-Jazeera's office reopens immediately, and that its staff can carry out their professional duties without future interference from Jordanian authorities.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
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