Jordanian Circles Demand Release of Detained Al Mayadeen Journalist

By Staff, Agencies

Jordanian cultural and media circles have expressed growing concern over the detention of prominent Al Mayadeen writer and journalist Mohammad Faraj, sparking renewed debate over press freedoms in the country and calls for his immediate release.

The Jordanian Communist Party strongly condemned Faraj’s detention, saying he was arrested more than a week ago upon arriving at Amman’s airport from Beirut without any publicly stated legal grounds.

In a statement, the party said Faraj has not been presented to a judicial authority, while his family has been barred from visiting him and his lawyer prevented from meeting him, describing the measures as violations of basic legal and human rights.

The party characterized Faraj as a respected journalist and independent critical voice, warning that his detention reflects a broader pattern of restricting public freedoms and targeting journalists.

It demanded his immediate release, access for his family and legal counsel, and public disclosure of the legal basis for his arrest.

An alliance of the al-Quds Current and the Democratic Cultural Current within the Jordanian Writers Association also called for Faraj’s immediate release, describing his arrest as an unlawful deprivation of liberty and an assault on freedom of opinion and expression.

Jordanian Writers Association President Mowaffaq Mahadeen declared solidarity with Faraj, Al Mayadeen, and its media mission, stressing that the continued detention contradicts democratic values and press freedoms.

Faraj was detained after returning to Jordan last week with his wife, journalist Rana Abi Jumaa, for a vacation.