madonna23 said:
BlackBeauty, while I do not know for sure, the poll you mentioned about democracy in Jordan was flawed because another report found that most Jordanians are afraid to tell their real opinions in national polls. I don't know what most Jordanians feel - and they may very well think government is improving - but I don't think the poll can be used as an accurate reflection of Jordanian opinion.
Totally what I was thinking about.
That poll was realised by "A Jordanian state university",which is obviously not a reliable source to reflect the true opinion of the jordanians,everybody knows that in dictatorships,people would be affraid to say their true opionions about their rulers as they "DICTATORS"....
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Here's the true face of democracy and freedom of speech since 1999:
After
September 11, 2001, the government amended the Penal Code and
regressed 1999 amendments to the Press and Publications Act, which had reduced the historical restrictions on press freedom.</SPAN>
[9] Article 150 threatens with prison anyone who publishes "a story, speech or act in any way that offends national unity, stirs people to commit crimes, implants hatred among members of society, instigates sectarianism and racism, insults the dignity and personal freedoms of individuals, promotes fabricated rumors, incites others to riot, sit-in or organize public gatherings that violate the laws of the country."
According to the US Department of State, Jordanian journalists allege that the Jordanian government uses informants and censors at printing presses to inform the government if particularly objectionable material is slated for print in the news media. In 2003 the government routinely used detention and prosecution or the threat of prosecution to intimidate journalists into self-censorship.</SPAN>
[10]Emergency regulations also abridge freedom of speech by permitting martial law authorities and the secret police to arrest persons suspected of security offenses and to detain them without trial or access to legal counsel for indefinite periods. The emergency regulations authorize the government to censor the press and other publications, ban political parties, and r
estrict the rights of citizens to assemble for political meetings and peaceful demonstrations. Martial law has frequently been invoked in Jordan, sometimes for decades at a time.</SPAN>
The government limits academic freedom. Student activism is carefully controlled through restrictions on political organizations, demonstrations, and meetings. Jordanian students studying overseas are subject to strict passport controls and students must obtain a good behavior certificate from the secret police in order to qualify for admission under the university quota system. Human rights groups report that these certificates are sometimes withheld from deserving students due to a family member's allegedly problematic record.</SPAN>
According to the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Jordan's one million foreign workers have been prohibited from joining trade unions and engaging in collective bargaining or strikes, and domestic and agricultural workers have been excluded from protection under the Labor Code.[11]
The government imposes some limits on freedom of religion and notes individuals' religious affiliation (except for
Druze and
Baha'is, and other unrecognized religions) on the national identity card and in the "family book" (a national registration record that is issued to the head of every family and that serves as proof of citizenship) of all citizens. Atheists must associate themselves with a recognized religion for official identification purposes.
There are some restrictions on freedom of movement.
On August 28, 2001 the government enacted a temporary
law limiting the right of assembly, stating that organizers of public assemblies must obtain the written approval of the provincial governor at least 24 hours before the event is to take place; any assembly contrary to the law will be deemed illegal and violators will be subject to prison terms or fines.
Source
rivacy International&Human rights 2004 Report
http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-83799#_ftnref9
So when that poll talks about more freedom,i don't from where they got it!!,you can go and so on to see all the report,what I posted was only a very few part of it.
