Contact Us

Jordan urged to free cartoonist held over UAE drawing

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST
Published August 29,2020
Subscribe

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Jordanian authorities to immediately release a cartoonist for drawing a satirical cartoon about a recent normalization deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.

Emad Hajjaj was arrested by Jordanian police on charges of insulting an Arab country.

"Calling a satirical cartoon a terrorism offense only confirms that Jordan intends to muzzle citizens who speak freely," Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East director, said in a statement.

"This arrest sends the message that Jordanian authorities would rather abuse the rights of their own citizens than risk offending a gulf leader's feelings," he said.

On Thursday, Hajjaj was referred to the State Security Court on a charge of "disturbing [Jordan's] relations with a foreign state".

Activists on social media shared the caricature that mocks UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as Israel refused to allow the UAE to buy F-35 warplanes from the US despite Abu Dhabi's normalization deal with Tel Aviv.

The UAE cancelled a meeting last week with Israel and the US over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to provide the Gulf state with the US fighters F-35.

On Aug. 13, the UAE and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement to normalize their relations, including opening embassies in each other's territory.

Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Authority, have denounced the UAE-Israel deal, saying it does not serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians.