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Jordan14 May 2007 - Ex-parliamentarian arrested for criticising corruption online

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the arrest of former Jordanian parliamentarian Ahmad Oweidi Abbadi on 3 May for accusing King Abdallah’s government of corruption in an open letter to US senator Harry Reid that he posted on the Internet.
“This is the first time that someone has been arrested in Jordan because of what they posted online,” the press freedom organisation said. “Using imprisonment to silence a government opponent and to cover up embarrassing scandals in unacceptable.”
Interior minister Eid Al-Fayez is prosecuting Abbadi on charges of defamation, “violating laws governing the Internet” and “harming the state’s prestige and reputation.” Abbadi’s letter accused the government of “corruption,” “human rights abuses” and “attacking the independence of the media.”
Abbadi heads the Jordanian National Movement, which says its supports democracy, human rights and political, economic and social reforms. He is being held in Al-Jwaidah prison. A member of his party, Abdul Salam Al-Mualla, has written to US President Georges W. Bush asking him to do all he can to get Abbadi released.
The traditional media are closely watch in Jordan, and journalists have to belong to the government-controlled Jordanian Press Association.