US embassy cable - 02AMMAN6521

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006521 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2012 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ DISSOLVES SOCIETY FOR CITIZENS' RIGHTS 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 006154 
 
     B. AMMAN 5838 
     C. AMMAN 5576 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR EDWARD W. GNEHM.  REASONS 1.5 (B) and (D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY.  On October 29, the Ministry of Interior 
officially dissolved the Jordanian Society for Citizens' 
Rights (JSCR).  Despite previous media attention to the 
plight of the JSCR, coverage of the dissolution has been 
scant, coming as it did the day after the murder of Larry 
Foley.  MFA officials attempted to assure PolOffs that the 
move was not politically motivated and pledged to follow up. 
END SUMMARY 
 
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JSCR DISSOLVED 
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2. (C)  On October 31, PolOff and visiting NEA/ARN officer 
Susan Ziadeh met with JSCR President Fawzi Samhoury. 
Samhoury said that on October 29 the Governor of Amman, Abdel 
Karim Malahme, called Samhoury into his office to present him 
with a letter signed by the Minister of Interior, Qaftam 
Majali.  The short missive (a copy of which Samhoury provided 
us) said the JSCR was officially dissolved pursuant to 
Article 16 of the Societies and Charitable Organizations Law 
of 1966.  The letter contained no additional information 
regarding the closure. 
 
3  (C)  Samhoury said that on October 18, the JSCR had voted, 
by a large majority, to submit the financial records 
requested by the GOJ in previous correspondence (reftels). 
The records were sent to the Ministry of Interior on October 
22.  Since that time, the GOJ has not commented on the 
submission of the documents, and it was not clear to Samhoury 
whether the GOJ reviewed the documents before the decision to 
dissolve the JSCR was made. 
 
4.  (C)  Note:  according to Samhoury, Dr. Khalid Tahaineh, 
the MFA's action officer on human rights, called him on 
October 18 to say that the GOJ was upset over reports issued 
by the JSCR relating to Palestinian-Jordanians losing their 
passports through implementation of 1988 disengagement laws 
(reftels).  End note. 
 
5  (C)  Samhoury was despondent over the future of the JSCR. 
He said that he was reviewing the possibility of legal 
action.  He said he is also in contact with outspoken former 
MP Toujan Faisal, and planned to talk to the international 
media.  Note:  local press coverage of the JSCR's demise has 
been scant, despite regular coverage prior to the GOJ action 
of October 29. 
 
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MFA:  WE'RE LOOKING INTO IT 
--------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) On November 4, A/PolCouns and Poloff met with MFA 
Legal Adviser Samer Naber and MFA Human Rights Officer 
Tahaineh to obtain the GOJ's side of the story.  Both 
confirmed that the action to close down the JSCR was based on 
legal infractions, not politics.  "There is a legal basis for 
the action, and there were internal disputes within the JSCR 
that led to the closure," Tahaineh stated repeatedly.  Naber 
noted that the MFA had requested from the Min Int an 
explanation of the case and any relevant supporting 
documents.  He said the MFA would follow-up with the Min Int. 
 
 
7.  (C)  Tahaineh however, strongly implied that political 
considerations were a factor, stating that "all of these 
(human rights) organizations have affiliations with groups 
outside Jordan, and this is what we mean when we are talking 
about 'Jordan first'."  At that point, Naber jumped in, 
reiterated that the MFA had no official explanation of the 
case and was waiting to hear from the Min Int, and that 
"Jordan first" has nothing to do with the JSCR.  As the 
meeting concluded, PolOffs noted that the closing of an 
independent human rights organization had the potential to 
damage Jordan's reputation.  Naber acknowledged this reality 
and promised again to follow-up with the Min Int. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (C)  The GOJ's dissolution of the JSCR is an unwelcome 
and untimely development.  Samhoury has a consistent and 
reliable human rights contact for several years.  At first 
glance, there is reason to believe the GOJ's legal action is 
merely a pretext to close the JSCR.  That said, the GOJ 
action may well rest on defensible legal ground, and 
Samhoury's options for legal redress have not been exhausted. 
 We have cautioned the GOJ, on several occasions and at 
levels up to the PM, that the closing of the JSCR would be 
scrutinized by the international media and human rights 
activists.  We will continue to track this closely. 
GNEHM