On 18 July 2023, Lawyers for Lawyers submitted a report for the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Jordan. The next UPR of Jordan will take place in January 2024.
The UPR’s key concern is Jordan’s compliance with its international human rights obligations under the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, specifically with reference to the issues of harassment of lawyers, arbitrary arrests and violence against lawyers as well as access to clients in detention and lawyer-client confidentiality.
L4L has received first-hand reports of intimidation, harassment as well as surveillance of lawyers, especially of those working on cases of human rights violations. Intimidation often results from arbitrary arrests of lawyers due to their professional activities. The subsequent detention of lawyers lacks any charges, hearings or due process – thus heightening the intimidations and the chilling effect of lawyers willing to focus on certain human rights issues.
Authorities are sometimes involved in attacks against human rights lawyers in retaliation for the work they are doing. Even when these attacks are not caused by the authorities, there is a clear failure to take appropriate measures to safeguard the security of those threatened and a lack of investigation.
Lastly, the report emphasizes the issue of the difficulty for lawyers in Jordan to access clients who are in detention due to the police officers’ attempts to stall the meeting between the detainee and their lawyer. Such difficulties persist for several days on end even for detainees held without any charges. Even when the lawyer and client are able to meet, there are serious concerns about the privacy of their conversations. Reports have revealed that spyware is being used to disrupt the privacy of lawyer-client meetings and thus violate the principle of lawyer-client confidentiality.
In light of these serious concerns regarding the situation of lawyers in Jordan, Lawyers for Lawyers has made multiple recommendations to the Jordanian government.
