Human Rights Organizations Celebrate 60th Anniversary of UDHR by launching a human rights forum
Under the patronage of Minister of Political Development, Dr Kamal Nasser, and in the presence of Mr. Patrick Renauld the ambassador of the European Union in Jordan, four human rights organizations in Jordan celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the launching of the Jordanian Forum for Human Rights. The four Jordanian human rights organizations are the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies [ACHRS], the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHRJ in Jordan, the Jordanian Society for Human Rights, and the Arab Women Society.
The aim of the Jordanian Forum for human Rights is to activate the dialogue on the human rights conditions in Jordan, to exchange information and to keep contacts among the various civil society organizations, human rights activists and the official bodies concerned with human rights.
On behalf of the four organizations, attorney Hani El Dahleh, president of AOHR in Jordan made a speech calling on the governments of the Arab countries to work for the following:
•1- Reviewing the legislation which places restrictions on freedom and which contradicts the principles of freedom and democracy and also enacting a new democratic election law.
•2- enforcing the legislation pertaining to arrest and investigation and asserting the need to provide legal protection for every detainee to enable him to access the judiciary within 24 hours of his arrest together with safeguarding his right to the legal counsel of any attorney immediately after his arrest.
•3- Investigating the claims about torture and the punishment of any official who is confirmed to have been involved in torture together with improving the conditions of the detention places at the police stations, all the more so because there have been increasing complaints about the bad conditions of these detention places.
•4- Supporting the independence of the judiciary, abrogation of extraordinary courts, strengthening the capability of the judicial branch of government so as it can perform its duties without any intervention in its affairs and decisions, particularly the abstaining from intervention in the administrative judiciary.
•5- Supporting the freedom of the press, impermissibility of imprisoning the journalists, facilitating the publication of newspapers, and lifting the restrictions imposed on the freedom of the press and journalists.
•6- Reviewing the policy of the laws which are enacted for special purposes and that benefit only certain people.
The ambassador of the European Union also addressed the celebration indicating the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and declaring that the European Union supports the steps and government and non-government activities which seek to promote and protect human rights.
Minister of Political Development also addressed the celebration about the significance of the Universal Declaration. He called on the international community, particularly the European Union, to work for the advancement of the rights of peoples and the rights of individuals.
He pointed out that the Jordanian government is in the process of amending the Societies Law so as to enable the civil society organizations to play their role in an active and transparent way. He said that the government is open on political parties, including the opposition parties and looks forward to the promotion of cooperation with the civil society organizations.
At the end of the celebration, the participants approved the appeal issued by the four human rights organizations addressed to the Prime Minister of Jordan demanding the amendment of the Societies Law and all laws relevant to freedom and democracy
