US embassy cable - 05AMMAN2713

UNCLAS AMMAN 002713 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KDEM, KISL, JO 
SUBJECT: DRL-FUNDED HUMAN RIGHTS WORKSHOP A SUCCESS 
 
REF: A. 04 STATE 275482 
 
     B. 04 AMMAN 4061 
 
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Summary 
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1. Embassy Amman successfully implemented human rights 
training for GOJ officials on February 26-27 sponsored by 
DRL's Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF). Working with 
the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and its Institute for 
Diplomacy, post held a two-day workshop with 30 participants 
from 13 different Jordanian ministries and organizations. 
There were lively discussions about international human 
rights standards and their place in the Arab and Muslim 
worlds. The event received positive press coverage. End 
Summary. 
 
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Grant Implementation 
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2. An HRDF grant of USD 21,000 for Jordan was intended to 
build on the FY 2004 success of working with local human 
rights organizations and providing human rights training to a 
spectrum of concerned Jordanian ministries. For logistical 
reasons the grant was split into two grant agreements. The 
first grant agreement for USD 6,747 was issued to the 
International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) to provide 
human rights experts for the February 26-27 training. The 
second grant agreement for USD 13,242 was issued to the 
National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) to conduct an 
advocacy training and capacity building seminar for Jordanian 
human rights NGOs, currently scheduled for April 25-28. 
 
3. The human rights training for GOJ officials was held at 
the Jordanian Institute for Diplomacy and coordinated by the 
Human Rights Directorate at the Foreign Ministry. The 30 
participants came from 13 different Jordanian government 
agencies and organizations, including the Foreign, Interior, 
Justice, Social Development, Education, Health, and Labor 
Ministries. The Family Protection Unit of the Public Security 
Department, the Jordanian Army, the Directorate of General 
Intelligence, the Institute for Diplomacy, the Court of 
Cassation, and the National Center for Human Rights also sent 
representatives to the training. The participants' 
familiarity with human rights issues varied greatly, but most 
brought with them a good grounding in the subject; many had 
studied the issues at the graduate level. Guest speakers for 
the training were provided by IHRLI and included their 
Executive Director, Dr. David Guinn, and two Egyptian human 
rights experts, Judge Khaled Ahmed and Judge Nehad El-Gamal. 
 
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Lively Debate 
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5. Lively discussions characterized the workshop as 
participants representing a wide spectrum of viewpoints 
attempted to reconcile international human rights standards 
with what they felt was appropriate for Jordan as a 
predominantly Muslim-Arab country. Many sensitive topics were 
discussed, including the treatment of women, sharia law, and 
torture. Some participants were quite conservative in their 
views while others advanced liberal ideas about human rights. 
One participant, for example, thought that sharia law should 
be fully implemented without exemption. Other attendees tried 
to persuade him that even the most devout Muslim leaders of 
the past would have "adjusted" the punishments of sharia law 
were they to live in today's world. Two of the most active 
proponents of a liberal approach came from the Jordanian Army 
and the General Intelligence Directorate. 
 
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Feedback 
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6. Participant evaluation forms indicated a strong interest 
in continued training and a desire to maintain dialogue among 
those who handle human rights issues at the various 
ministries. To help facilitate communication we provided all 
participants with a master list of names, telephone numbers 
and e-mails. Some participants asked for more Jordan-specific 
focus in future workshops and to include Jordanian human 
rights experts as facilitators. Several felt that the 
training was too condensed and needed to be held over a 
longer period of time. Other suggestions included quarterly 
workshops on different aspects of human rights as they 
pertain to Jordan and brainstorming sessions on how the Arab 
world can effectively implement obligations under human 
rights law. 
 
HALE