JPA wants investigation into police insults against Al Rai journalist

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association's (JPA) Council on Monday expressed regrets over the lawsuit filed by the Public Security Department (PSD) against Al Rai journalist, Hussein Shraah, over a verbal argument with highway patrol officers.

In a statement on Monday, the JPA said it had been in negotiations with the PSD to resolve the dispute within the syndicate, but was "surprised" to see police filling a lawsuit against Shraah.

JPA council member, Khaled Qudah, told The Jordan Times that a dispute between Shraa and highway patrol officers erupted over the weekend, during which the two sides traded verbal insults. 

Qudah said that the JPA received a written complaint from the PSD against Shraah, Al Rai's correspondent in Mafraq Governorate, and has referred the journalist to the internal Disciplinary Committee for investigation.  

Qudah said that Shraah told the committee that he was insulted by highway patrol police, which prompted him to write a note on his Facebook account interpreted as an insult by the PSD. 

"The PSD has been familiar with all the disciplinary proceedings against Shraah and we were in negotiations with them to resolve the issue, but we were surprised to learn that they [police] had already filed a lawsuit against Shraah at the judiciary," Qudah said.

Expressing regrets over PSD's move, the JPA Council said all measures it had taken against Shraah would be suspended "as no person shall be tried twice on the same charges".

The council also requested that the PSD investigate insults by the highway patrol officer against Shraah.

The PSD was not available for a comment on Monday.