Provincial governors, security agencies to have broader powers under amended law

AMMAN — The Council of Ministers on Sunday approved the mandating reasons for a draft law amending the Anti-Terrorism Law 2016, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The measure aims at enhancing security agencies’performance in combating terrorism and tracking people suspected to be in connection with terror organisations, executed or attempted terror attacks.

The amendments would enable governors to issue arrest warrants for persons suspected of attempting or carrying out terror acts and detain them.

The new law, Petra said, is also designed to grant security and military agencies with a legal tool to use force to neutralise and detain terror suspects, as well as refer them to the local governor or the prosecutor.  

The suggested amendments came as authorities were hunting for suspects following terror attacks in the southern city of Karak last month, which  ended up with the death of 11 security officers, three civilians and five terrorists. 

Provincial governors have the power to place suspects in the so-called “administrative detention”, outside the due legal procedure, usually for security reasons.  

According to Amnesty International, local governors continued to use provisions of the Crime Prevention Law of 1954 to place individuals in administrative detention for up to one year, citing  a report by the National Centre for Human Rights stating that 20,216 persons were administratively detained in 2014, some for longer than one year.