Watchdog reports 50 violations against journalists on election day

AMMAN — The Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) documented 50 violations against 28 journalists covering the Lower House elections last Tuesday, the centre said on Sunday. 

CDFJ monitors observed several cases of electoral committees obstructing journalists’ work, withholding information from them and preventing them from taking photographs, the centre said in a report. 

The CDFJ called on the Independent Election Commission to investigate why journalists were stopped from doing their work and to coordinate with the government to hold to account those who violated reporters’ rights.

Some 41 of the violations documented relate to banning media coverage and withholding information, four to mistreatment and four to intentional harassment, in addition to one case in which photos were deleted from a camera. 

Most incidents documented by the CDFJ were in Amman, Zarqa, Balqa and the northern governorates, according to the report.

Some 10 violations were recorded in Amman, seven in Zarqa, nine in Irbid, two in Ajloun and one each in Balqa and Ramtha. 

The CDFJ speculated that the reasons for obstructing journalists’ work could be the presence of systemised violations, or because electoral committee heads had received unclear instructions on the use of photography and mobile phones in polling centres.  

The centre’s report is not comprehensive and may not include all violations that took place on elections day, the CDFJ noted.