Jordanian journalist Hiba Abu Taha has been sentenced to one year in prison for a report alleging Jordan’s involvement in exporting goods to Israel through a land corridor.
The report, titled “Partners in genocide… Jordanian capital involved in genocide in the Gaza Strip,” was published in the Lebanese media outlet Annasher. It detailed how some Jordanian companies were reportedly shipping goods to Israel via a land corridor.
In February, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh denied the existence of such a land route, calling the reports “fabrications” and asserting that transport routes in and out of Jordan have remained unchanged for the past 25 years.
The verdict follows Abu Taha’s week-long arrest in May after the Jordanian Media Commission filed a complaint against her. Local media reported that her lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.
Abu Taha has been charged with “inciting strife and spreading false news” under Jordan’s cybercrime law.
This law, approved by King Abdullah II last year, has been criticized by rights groups and journalists as an attack on free speech.
