A/HRC/11/L.10
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Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into the domestic legal system, and lift the reservations
to articles 9 (2) of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
and 20 and 21 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
679. Human Rights Watch was disappointed at Jordan’s rejection of important
recommendations to eradicate torture, and requested that it implement recommendations to set
up an independent complaints mechanism on torture, allow unannounced prison visits by
non-governmental organizations and abolish exceptional courts, such as the police court. It noted
that Jordan had curtailed its practice of administratively detaining women threatened with
violence by family members, and tribal members threatened with violence by members of other
tribes. However, the Government had made no concerted effort to apprehend or prosecute those
who make such violent threats. Human Rights Watch was heartened by Jordan’s readiness to
uphold freedom of assembly and requested that Jordan abolish prior approval for public
meetings, lift provisions governing executive approval to register a society, and remove
excessive powers of Government interference.
680. The Arab Commission for Human Rights commended Jordan for accepting a number of
review recommendations and regretted the fact that the replies had not been submitted in writing
before the plenary session of the Council. It welcomed the acceptance of the recommendation to
support more effective implementation of the provisions of the Committee against Torture. It
called on Jordan to reconsider its position on the Optional Protocol to the Convention against
Torture and to recognize the competence of the Committee against Torture, as contained in
article 22 of the Convention.
681. The International Commission of Jurists stated that Jordan should investigate in a prompt,
effective and independent manner all alleged acts of torture and other ill-treatment that had been
systematically used in Jordan’s prisons and centres of detention, as suggested in
recommendations 18, 19 and 20. It urged Jordan to accept recommendation 9 of paragraph 93,
break the cycle of impunity and bring the definition of torture in the penal code into line with
article 1 of the Committee against Torture. It requested that Jordan accept and expeditiously
implement recommendation 15 of paragraph 93. It called on Jordan to abolish the State security
courts and other special courts and make sure that human rights violations were tried by ordinary
civilian courts.
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