Jordan adds popular blog to website black list
One month after Jordan blocked over 200 news websites, IMS’ partner 7iber has been added to the government’s black list
The move to block 7iber.com, a citizen media blogging platform, comes 48 hours after a public debate about the Press and Publication Law, where an audience member asked the director of the government’s Press and Publication Department, Fayez Shawabkeh, why 7iber was not blocked.
According to a statement by 7iber, Shawabkeh responded “I will look into it and if I find that it’s a news website, I will block it.” When another audience member pointed out that 7iber is a blog and not a news website, Shawabkeh added, “if it’s a blog the law does not apply to it.”
On 2 June Mr. Shawabkeh’s Press and Publications Department banned Jordanian news websites which had not registered or received a license from the government agency. They are required to do so following controversial amendments to the country’s media law passed in September 2012.
“Arbitrary stifling” of freedom of expression
7iber says it was informed of the blocking only in a memo sent from the Press and Publications Department to the Telecom Regulatory Commission.
“If the Press and Publication Department decided that 7iber.com needs a license, which is against all their public statements about blogs, they are supposed to officially inform us of this decision and give us 90 days before blocking the website, according to the law,” 7iber said in its statement following the blocking.
“This happened without any due process or formal notification to 7iber, in yet another demonstration that this law serves as a tool for the government to arbitrarily stifle freedom of expression online.”
Controversial media law amendments
According to controversial amendments to the press and publication law passed in September last year, any website that publishes “news, investigations, articles, and comments related to Jordan’s internal or external affairs … is required to register and get licensed by a decision from the director [of the press and publication department].”
The licensing requirements include having an editor in chief who has been a member of the Jordan Press Association (JPA) for at least four years. According to 7iber, the JPA does not however grant membership to journalists who work in online media.
Opponents of the law argue that it is restrictive of free speech and impossible to implement since its definition of websites that require licensing is very vague.
Protests against the law are ongoing, with some proposals in parliament to amend it, says 7iber.
7iber.com was established as a citizen media platform in 2007, and now also offers training and research in digital media.
