Law curbing internet speech shocks Jordanians. Will king step in?
Jordan, long a West-friendly outlier in a troubled region, may soon have the most restricted internet and speech in the Arab world.
A cybercrime law that conservative elements in the king’s hand-picked government introduced just last month – and are pushing quickly to passage – is being flagged by detractors as a “legislative coup.”
They say it contains vague language that could curb speech and internet freedoms, creating a “throwback to martial law days.”
The legislation was passed by Jordan’s Parliament last week and by the unelected Senate, which made minor revisions, on Tuesday. It is expected to land on the monarch’s desk by early next week, a pen stroke away from becoming law.
By threatening to sabotage King Abdullah’s promised democratic reforms, the legislation is placing the monarch at the center of Jordanians’ struggle for rights and freer speech.
How he responds will be for many liberal Jordanians the final word
