Jordan's king approves law criminalizing wide range of online speech

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday ratified a bill criminalizing a wide range of online speech, which human rights activists have denounced as a crackdown on political dissent in the country.

The Cybercrimes Law creates penalties, including imprisonment, for online posts "promoting, instigating, aiding, or inciting immorality."

The law also criminalizes "contempt for religion," and "undermining national unity."

The bill passed the lower house of the Jordanian legislature in July and cleared the Senate on Tuesday after being amended to allow judges to choose between fines and prison terms.

The bill also prohibits the publication of photos and names of police officers and contains provisions outlawing "fake news."

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh dismissed criticism of the law, saying the government is "completely open to any form of criticism."

The text of the law is expected to be published in the state register on Sunday and take effect one month later.

Human Rights Watch has condemned the new law as "draconian," saying it would endanger freedom of expression.

"The bill would further undermine free speech online, threaten Internet users' right to anonymity, and introduce new authority to control social media that would pave the way for an alarming surge in online censorship," HRW said in a July statement.