Human Rights Watch urged Jordanian authorities on Tuesday to allow the review and annulment of Ayman Sandouka’s 2025 conviction for a Facebook post criticizing the king’s foreign policy, calling the case a violation of free speech protections. The organization highlighted that Sandouka, a former political party leader, faces continued detention under a 2023 cybercrime law critics say targets dissent.
The State Security Court (SSC), a military tribunal, sentenced Sandouka to five years in 2025 for a 2023 post addressing King Abdullah II about Jordan’s relations with Israel. Court documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch show the post, which condemned the 2023 normalization agreement with Israel, was flagged by cybercrime units and led to his arrest in December 2023. Sandouka was already serving a separate three-month sentence for Facebook comments about Israel’s Gaza operations.
A January 2025 appeal to the Court of Cassation, Jordan’s highest court, argued the charges should have been classified as insulting the king under article 195 of the penal code, which carries a maximum three-year sentence, rather than the more severe article 149, which penalizes “undermining the political regime.” The Court of Cassation ruled in July 2025 that the SSC had misclassified the offense but allowed the original verdict to stand after the SSC reissued it. A subsequent appeal by Sandouka’s lawyer to revisit the decision remains pending.
Article 15 of Jordan’s 2023 cybercrime law, which imposes penalties for “fake news targeting national security,” has been criticized for enabling arbitrary prosecutions. The law’s provisions, which include fines up to 20,000 Jordanian dinars ($28,200) and minimum three-month sentences, have been used to detain activists since October 2023, according to Human Rights Watch. The organization cited patterns of “arbitrary detention and coercive measures” against critics of Jordan’s Israel policy.
UN human rights bodies have warned that laws restricting online speech risk undermining civic freedoms. The Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 34 states that criticism of public figures, including heads of state, cannot justify penalties unless it incites violence. Jordan’s 1959 State Security Court law allows the Court of Cassation to overturn SSC rulings but requires compliance from the lower court, a process Sandouka’s lawyer says has been ignored.
Two SSC judges dissented in July 2025, arguing the court had violated procedural rules by disregarding the Court of Cassation’s ruling. Their opinion stated the Facebook post did not meet the threshold for “incitement to oppose the political regime” and should have been treated as a lesser offense. Sandouka’s lawyer said the SSC’s defiance reflects a broader pattern of judicial independence erosion.
Human Rights Watch called for the immediate release of Sandouka and the repeal of the 2023 cybercrime law’s restrictive provisions. The organization also reiterated its opposition to special courts like the SSC, which it says frequently violate due process. “Jordanian authorities should correct this injustice and uphold the rule of law,” said Adam Coogle, HRW’s deputy Middle East director.
The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of Jordan’s handling of dissent following the arrest of pro-Palestine activists and the enforcement of the cybercrime law. The UN Human Rights Council and Jordan’s National Center for Human Rights have previously urged reforms, but no legislative changes have been announced. Sandouka remains incarcerated at Tafilah prison, approximately 185 kilometers from his family in Amman, according to his lawyer.
