03 May 2018 :

the Human Rights Committee completed its consideration of the fifth periodic report of Jordan on its implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Presenting the report, Saja Majali, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that since the presentation of its fourth periodic report, many changes had taken place in the region which had had serious ramifications for Jordan. With regard questions raised by experts on the death penalty, the delegation emphasised that Jordan was considered a country that strived to promote human rights. It had taken many measures to protect fundamental freedoms and to ensure that national legislation was in line with ratified international human rights instruments. The Criminal Code imposed penalties for crimes, one of them being the death penalty. It deterred crimes from being committed. That penalty and its implementation were compatible with international texts. Indeed, the Covenant stipulated that the death penalty should be confined to the most serious crimes. The application of the death penalty in Jordan could not take place in an arbitrary manner. It could only be imposed on individuals above the age of 18, and it could not be applied to pregnant women or to women who had just given birth. The death penalty was no longer applied to drug-related crimes. According to a recent study, 81 per cent of the Jordanian population supported the retention of the death penalty.