Amman, Jordan– Rights groups on Monday urged Jordanian authorities to withdraw a cybercrime bill currently under discussion in parliament, warning it would “undermine free speech online”.
The bill would “pave the way for an alarming surge in online censorship”, said a joint statement by 14 non-governmental organisations, including Human Rights Watch and digital civil rights group Access Now.
The statement described the bill as “draconian” and warned that it would “jeopardise digital rights, including freedom of expression and the right to information”.
They also said it “will ultimately fail in achieving the Jordanian government’s stated goals of tackling ‘disinformation,’ ‘hate speech,’ and ‘online defamation’.”
The Jordanian government recently referred the draft bill to parliament for discussion with a view to amending a 2015 cybercrime law.
The amendments would toughen penalties for those seen to have committed cybercrimes including spreading disinformation, with those found guilty potentially facing prison time.
The bill must be approved by the house of representatives followed by the senate before being ratified by King Abdullah II and published in the official gazette.
The rights groups urged lawmakers to hold discussions with Jordanian civil society to “explore alternative, rights-respecting ways of addressing legitimate concerns around hate speech and disinformation”.
Dozens of journalists on Monday staged a protest in front of their union to voice their objection over the bill.
On Sunday evening a group of Jordanian activists, journalists and political figures launched an online campaign rejecting the draft bill and describing it as an “obituary for freedoms”.
Hundreds of politicians and journalists last week signed a statement calling for the law to be scrapped, describing it as the “greatest threat to public and press freedoms”.