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Human Rights Group Condemns Jordanian Arrests
by Tareq Ayyoub
AMMAN, Jan 30 (IslamOnline) - A spokesman for a human rights watchdog group on Tuesday lashed out at the Jordanian government and demanded the immediate release of seven activists belonging to Professional Unions who were arrested this week following the release of a list containing names of Jordanian public figures and firms which maintain ties with Israel.
Hani Dahleh, Secretary General of the Arab Organization for Human Rights - Jordan Chapter, described the arrest as "unjustified" and "fabricated".
"We do not interfere in the policies of the [Jordanian] government. But we do not accept any violation of human rights," Dahleh said in a press conference.
"The way used to arrest these people is illegal and lacked basic requirements such as arrest warrant for such action," Dahleh, a lawyer by profession, said.
Security agents stormed the houses of seven members of the Anti-Normalization Committee in the Professional Unions and interrogated them on charges of belonging to an illegal group.
Local newspapers said that prosecutor general of the State Security Court also charged two of the activists with possession of explosive detonators for "illegal uses", a charge that could bear death penalty.
Those arrested were Ali Abul Sukar, Ahmad Armouti, Issam Abu Farhah, Abdul Raheem Barakat, Ghasan Do'ar, Mohammad Abu Jbarah and Subhi Abu Zaghlan.
Security agents also stormed the house of Ali Hattar but failed to arrest him because he was in Iraq at the time. Hattar headed to Syria after he was informed about the police action.
The government has repeatedly said that publishing such a list is harmful to Jordan's economy and could endanger the lives of those included in the list.
The list included, among other things, names of business firms that maintain trade relations with Israel.
Professional Unions, a stronghold of the Jordanian Islamic, leftist and national opposition, is vehemently opposed to any form of ties with Israel.
A statement by a coalition of human rights groups in Jordan described the arrest as targeting the Institutions of the Civil Society.
"What is dangerous in this case is that the security agencies have fabricated the evidences which included pamphlets and explosive detonators," a statement by the coalition said.
"We strongly denounce the serious deterioration in the status of human rights in Jordan," the statement, which was made available to the IslamOnline, said.
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