Court overturns decision to dissolve Jordanian Teachers Association

AMMAN — The Court of Appeals on Sunday ruled in favor of the Jordanian Teachers Association (JTA), in what is commonly referred to as the “Donation for the Nation” case, thereby overturning an earlier judicial decision that ordered for the syndicate to be dissolved.اضافة اعلان

In early March 2020, a group of teachers accused the JTA of allegedly “wasting public money” when it donated JD500,000 to the Ministry of Health to help it combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the JTA’s spokesperson Nour Alden Nadeem told Jordan News.

The original ruling “was appealed, and the court ruled in favor of the syndicate,” he said.

Bassam Al-Fraihat, the JTA’s attorney, said in remarks to Jordan News that the initial ruling had “no legal basis” and that the syndicate answered the ministry’s call for donations. “The government asked many organizations to donate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he stressed.

In June 2020, when the courts affirmed the teachers’ claim and ruled to dissolve the JTA, Fraihat and the syndicate appealed against the ruling. 

More lawsuits

Two more lawsuits against the JTA are also prohibiting it, its council, and its members from operating. One pertains to “electronic crime”, and the other involved health insurance claims.

In the second lawsuit, filed on June 22, 2020, the syndicate stands accused of four crimes for the leaking and posting on social media of a document that, according to Nadeem was a “draft ... clearly marked that it was not intended for publication.” At the time, the Amman Public Prosecutor characterized the move as “‘inflammatory measures’ announced by the syndicate›s council and circulated on social media,” according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The charges the Public Prosecutor brought against the JTA are:
• Misdemeanor affecting freedom to vote Article 57 of the Parliament Election Law and Article 15 of the Cybercrime Law
• Misdemeanor incitement of an illegal gathering under articles 164/1 and 80/1 of the Penal Code and Article 15 of the Cybercrime Law
• Misdemeanor encouragement of others, through speech or writing, to carry out illegal acts under Article 161 of the Penal Code and Article 15 of the Cybercrime Law
• Misdemeanor incitement of hatred in educational institutions under Article 467(b) of the Penal Code and Article 15 of the Cybercrime Law.

On July 25, 2020, all 13 members of the JTA Council were detained for a month, according to the association’s spokesperson, after which they were released because they had not been charged.

The JTA has been in the process of appealing the court ruling since January 2021.

The third lawsuit is being investigated by the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission and relates to health insurance. Thirty parties are involved in the lawsuit, according to the attorney. 

Both Nadeem and Fraihat affirmed that the cases are set to proceed this month, with the spokesperson adding that the health insurance case will begin on November 14.