By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
AMMAN, Jordan — Last Wednesday, Jordanian prosecutors charged five Al al-Bayt University students with incitement, for allegedly desecrating the Quran and engaging in acts of “devil worship.” The students had been detained for fifteen days, since March 12, 2013, and were charged by prosecutors after Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Jordanian government to either charge or release them. If convicted, the students could face up to three years in prison. The students deny the accusation.
They were accused of ripping and burning Quran manuscripts while performing a “religious ritual” in a campus bathroom in the city of Mafraq. Prior to being detained, the students were assaulted by a crowd of other students when rumors had spread about their involvement in the act. A sister of one of the students claimed that a mob of 200 other students had attacked the accused, which is comprised of her sister and four male students.
HRW released a statement from the students’ families, which said that “no evidence of criminal activity had been presented to the accused.” HRW said that Jordanian authorities should actively do their best to protect the students and arrest anyone who allegedly attacked and threatened them. “Jordanian authorities should release the five students and take steps to protect them from further attack,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East Director at HRW. “The authorities should hold to account anyone who joined in this witch hunt and committed acts of violence. They should not be allowed to walk free while their victims are locked up.”
HRW also urged Jordanian authorities to investigate reported remarks that advocated the students’ deaths, such as those made by a well-known Salafi shaikh. Salafists are an ultra-conservative group derived from the Sunni sect of Islam. HRW believes that these remarks have sparked a chain reaction of Facebook messages by other university students calling for the death of their fellow students. HRW says that such messages have “prompted fears for their safety and doubts about whether they will be able to complete their university studies in Jordan.”
International law, and Jordan’s treaty obligations as a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) requires Jordan to take reasonable steps in ensuring that the right to security for all people within Jordan is protected. Jordan is also required to uphold the rights to freedom, expression and thought, conscience, and religion. This establishes that it must not prosecute people who peacefully express their views, and must protect those who do from others who coercively try to curb their expressions of opinion and religious belief.
Al-Rai, a Jordanian newspaper, reported that the president of the university had established an investigative committee to determine the truth as to whether the students were involved in “throwing manuscripts of the Quran in the toilets.” The head of the investigative committee informed a news website, Kharbani, that it could not find any evidence that the students had committed such acts, and also said that none of the statements against them were based on first-hand evidence.
For further information, please see:
Al Bawaba — Jordan Charges Students With Incitement After Claims of “Devil Worship” — 27 March 2013
The Raw Story — Jordan Charges Students With ‘Devil Worship’ — 27 March 2013
Al Jazeera — Jordan Urged to Free ‘Devil Worship’ Students — 26 March 2013
Human Rights Watch — Jordan: Students Accused of ‘Devil Worship’ — 26 March 2013
