Amman – Raed Sobeih

Eleven years have passed since the start of broadcasting of the local Yarmouk satellite channel, and from the first day until the moment of writing the report, the channel was not granted a legal license despite the fulfillment of the legal conditions.

The Jordanian and international press celebrates the World Press Freedom Day, but many files, including the Yarmouk channel file, still pose great question marks over the extent of freedom enjoyed by press and media institutions in the Kingdom.

The director of the Yarmouk satellite channel, Khader Al-Mashaikh, said that the channel has communicated with the official authorities since the first day and over the course of more than eleven years, and all stages of communication were procedures that we all implemented, and on the contrary, instead of facilitating the work of the channel, the official authorities filed cases against However, we won all cases before the courts.

And the sheikhs added in a statement to:compassOn the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Jordanian legislation related to the media, in addition to its bureaucratic application, limits press freedoms, which limit them not only by imprisoning a journalist or preventing him from accessing information, and this is considered a disaster, he said.

He pointed out that the procedures and laws related to the work of the media, if they are not applied directly, protected and respected by judicial decisions related to them, this will exacerbate the decline in freedom of the press and the media, which we have been witnessing for years.

He said: “We still find it difficult to obtain information, the lack of transparency in dealing with media institutions, and the blatant government bias towards one party over the other, all of which contributed to limiting the freedom of the press, which reflected negatively on Jordan’s image in front of Western and international public opinion.”

Sheikhs stated that Jordan did not stop at this point, but rather that we have retreated from countries that are traditionally considered behind us in political and press freedoms, but unfortunately we have become very much backward.

He stressed that the foregoing requires a re-adjustment of the procedural process in institutions and the easing of restrictions on them with regard to licensing, as well as facilitating the process of media investment in Jordan, and the judicial rulings issued by the courts must be implemented quickly and not hindered by government bureaucracy, and this is completely parallel to giving Information, and giving all institutions the opportunity to participate in any meetings, practices and press conferences.

He pointed out that all of this can contribute to improving the image of Jordan in terms of media freedoms, and the mental image drawn about the reality of all freedoms in Jordan.

Sheikhs expressed his regret over the weakness of government institutions that oversee the control of the media process and allow the flow of information and press freedoms, or that these institutions are governed by high bureaucracy, or interference from various parties in the decision-making process, which hinders the role of official institutions.

With regard to other state institutions, human rights institutions and civil society, Sheikhs said that they are very short, as the House of Representatives was unable to legislate legislation that facilitates and protects press freedoms, and allows them on a large scale.

He stressed the need for the House of Representatives to reconsider many legislations and put an end to oppression of the media and journalists to ensure more real environment that allows press freedoms.

He talked about the importance of the role of institutions working in the field of human rights in Jordan and outside Jordan in protecting press and media freedoms, pointing out that this role is weak and sometimes collided with security obstacles and interference, and at other times was shocked by the lack of information and the lack of cooperation of official institutions with it.

He said that it has a big role, but official institutions, national media personalities, human rights institutions, and civil society organizations, including unions and representatives, must participate in this role.

He called on all sheikhs to work to give a positive image of the media in Jordan, and this also contributes to the promotion of media investment, which in the end will enhance the reality of human rights and media freedoms.