Association

A report published by The Citizen Lab on 22 January 2026, alongside reporting by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), documents how Jordanian security authorities used tools developed by Cellebrite, an Israeli company specialising in mobile forensic extraction. These tools allow authorities to access data from mobile phones—including messages and photos—belonging to activists, journalists, and human rights defenders during detention, arrest, and interrogation. Between January 2024 and June 2025, researchers analysed four devices seized from civil society members and found evidence of Cellebrite data extraction on all of them. The investigation identified seven documented cases of phone extraction and suggests that dozens more may exist, highlighting how control over information has become a key tool for surveillance and prosecution.

Expression

On 14 May 2025, the Jordanian Media Commission ordered internet service providers to block access to at least 12 independent news websites without publishing the legal basis or providing affected outlets with a way to appeal. Authorities publicly justified the ban using vague terms such as “spreading media poison” and “targeting national symbols,” without specific evidence.  Rights and media freedom groups have condemned the ban as a clear violation of Article 15 of the Jordanian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the right to seek, receive, and impart information and opinion.

Another concern is the broader pattern of digital repression in Jordan. Despite repeated calls by human rights organisations since late 2024 to repeal the 2023 Cybercrimes Law, including Article 19 used to restrict freedom of expression, activists continue to be targeted. Political activist Ayman Sanduka is one such case. On 15 September 2025, Jordan’s State Security Court upheld his five-year prison sentence for peaceful online criticism. He was arrested in December 2023 after criticising Jordan’s diplomatic relations with Israel and charged with “incitement to oppose the political regime”. His case is one of the 2.928 prosecuted under this Law recorded by Jordan’s National Center for Human Rights between September 12, 2023 and September 26, 2024.

These domestic developments have also drawn international attention and concern. The Cybercrime Law was discussed at the 14th meeting of the EU-Jordan Subcommittee on Human Rights, Democratization and Governance, held in Amman on 30 September 2025, reflecting EU concern about the law's impact for fundamental freedoms, particularly online expression. During this meeting, both the EU and Jordan reaffirmed that freedom of expression and a protected civic space are core democratic values.

Peaceful Assembly

Following former President Trump’s early-2025 remarks about potential U.S. control over Gaza after the conflict ends, hundreds of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman on 7th February 2025, protesting what they viewed as a U.S.-backed plan to displace Palestinians. Demonstrations continued through the first half of February, drawing participation from legal and professional associations calling for Palestinian rights, including the establishment of an independent state, and supporting King Abdullah’s public rejection of any forced displacement.

However, on 19 March 2025, Jordanian authorities banned a planned peaceful protest near the U.S. Embassy, despite prior notification. The decision raised serious concerns about the implementation of Assembly Law No. 7 (2004) and the Instructions Regulating Public Assemblies and Demonstrations (2011), which govern public gatherings in Jordan. These restrictions came after a year of repeated mobilizations in 2024, during which authorities responded with tear gas, batons, and mass arrests.