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Ministry reverses decision to block websites publishing court decisions

By Dana Al Emam - Jun 24,2016 - Last updated at Jun 24,2016

AMMAN — The ICT Ministry said on Wednesday it has reversed a decision to block six websites that collect and archive public court decisions. 

The ministry said the privately owned websites publish public and officially announced court decisions, which are usually viewed by judges and lawyers.

The decision to unblock the websites was based on Article 101 of the Constitution, which states that court settings are public, unless the court decides otherwise, and that the pronouncement of verdicts are to be public too, the ministry said in a statement.

Lawyer Abdullah Jaradat said banks and financial companies use the databases of such websites to check the legal records of loan applicants.

“Banks and facilitation companies decide whether to approve or deny a loan application based on the legal history of the applicant,” he told The Jordan Times in a phone interview on Wednesday.

He noted that the earlier decision to block the websites was based on the Prevention of Crimes Act, but asked: “Does banning these websites really prevent crimes?”

Mohammad Saeed, CEO of the website Qistas which had been blocked, said he did not receive any official notice explaining the decision to ban the site. 

He said the website provides final public court decisions for subscribers, who are mostly lawyers and judges, to help them build judicial opinions. The website is not intended to expose people’s names, he explained. 

“We do not publish court decisions involving family affairs and juveniles,” he told The Jordan Times, adding that the Amman-based website hires 35 lawyers and has agreements with the Ministry of Justice and the Chief Islamic Justice Department.

 

The ICT Ministry said a new committee of relevant stakeholders will be formed to regulate the work of privately owned websites.

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