Court rules in favour of journalists over article on PM's $250,000 car

AMMAN — The Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists  (CDFJ) on Wednesday welcomed a court decision not to hold two journalists accountable in a case involving an article on the purchase of a $250,000 car for the prime minister.

Describing the ruling as unprecedented, CDFJ President Nidal Mansour commended Judge Nassar Halalmeh's decision.

The government filed a lawsuit against jfranews.com, its owner and publisher Amjad Moalla and its managing editor Nidal Faraaneh for publishing a story in which they criticised a decision by the Prime Ministry to buy a $250,000 car for Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour amidst difficult economic conditions.

The judge decided that the two journalists should not be held accountable as the story was published on several other websites. 

The court said the article was published to serve Jordan's higher interests by exercising the media's monitoring role, especially with the country going through difficult economic conditions, according to a CDFJ statement.

The judge decided that the article was published within the media's right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in Jordan by laws and the Constitution.

Halalmeh said the article did not target Ensour in his personal capacity, his personal life or family, but in his capacity as a prime minister who is responsible for controlling expenditures.

Commenting on the decision on his Facebook page, Moalla voiced his appreciation for the judiciary and the CDFJ.

"The decision of the judge is important as it was taken while Ensour is still prime minister. This decision supports media freedom," he said.

Moalla added that it was time to "clean the journalism field from intruders" who do not belong to the profession.