Cybercrime law does not violate the Constitution – Khasawneh

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh has said that the government does not believe that the Electronic Crimes Law undermines fundamental freedoms or violates the Constitution. He emphasized that the government is entirely open to any form of criticism.اضافة اعلان

Khasawneh was speaking on Thursday during the Lower House debate of the draft cybercrime law. "The novelty in this law lies in regulating and defining penalties within the electronic space. The government does not propose anything that violates the Constitution," Khasawneh said.

He added that the draft law does not infringe on freedoms, but is aimed at safeguarding all Jordanians. He emphasized the importance of preserving these freedoms in today's society.

Meanwhile, Legal Committee Chairman Ghazi Al-Zoubi added that the law introduces new regulations concerning penalties for organized crimes in the electronic space, with reference to the Penal Code of 1960.

40 articlesThe draft law, consisting of 40 articles, focuses on regulating and addresses violations such as targeting databases, infrastructure, and financial transactions.

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Khasawneh called for regulating cases involving defamation, invasion of privacy, and violations of people's rights. He stressed the importance of protecting individuals from a minority whose voices are loud in defamation, slander, and lies. He cited an incident involving Deputy Dima Tahboub, who faced insults due to her opinion on certain social phenomena.

Protection of insults and bullyingAccordingly, he urged the protection of such individuals from insults and bullying. Khasawneh maintained that constructive criticism, which the law does not impede in terms of practice or action according to its provisions, deserves an open reception.

The House of Representatives commenced discussions of the draft law the following the failure of a parliamentary proposal to reject the law and return it to the government.

On Tuesday, the Lower House Legal Committee, with the presence of ministers, approved the Electronic Crimes Law for the year 2023 with "some amendments" to the government's original draft law, according to Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmad Al-Khalaileh.

The draft law came under attack from journalists’ professional unions and legal experts for restricting freedom of expression and imposing hefty fines.


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