AKEED, Wasfi Khushman

Most press coverage of the Jordanian decision to "withdraw the accreditation" of Al Jazeera TV in Jordan has made a mistake by referring to "revoking the license of the channel." The government decided to withdraw the accreditation of Al Jazeera TV in the Kingdom. It is a foreign channel operating on Jordanian soil based on accreditation, and not a license.

The difference between accreditation and license is that accreditation is given to a non-Jordanian channel, which is licensed abroad and has a bureau in the Kingdom, while a license is given to any channel that is based in Jordan, whether it is Jordanian or non-Jordanian.

Moreover, giving and withdrawing accreditation is an act of sovereignty carried out by the government, represented by the minister of state for media and communication affairs, and implemented by the Media Commission. However, the license of any media establishment may not be revoked except based on a judicial order or in the event of failure to pay fees.

The Jordanian decision was accompanied by reduction in the level of diplomatic representation with the State of Qatar in the wake of an announcement by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt to cut off diplomatic ties with the Gulf state.

Most local press reports carried the wrong wording contained in the report of the Jordan News Agency (Petra), while some of them followed up on the matter. The same applies to foreign media outlets, which made a mistake about the nature of the decision, while at least one site correctly reported the wording of the decision.

Lawyer Abdul Rahman Sharari, who is specialized in press and publications cases, explained the government"s decision by saying that channels that are licensed outside Jordan submit an application to the government to obtain accreditation in order to open bureaus that would allow them to operate in the Kingdom.

Non-Jordanian radio and TV stations operate based on the Regulation on the Accreditation of Bureaus of Radio and TV Stations and Correspondents No. 61 of 2004 and the Amended Law, approved by the government a few days ago. It will become effective as soon as it is published in the Official Gazette.

Article 9 of the Regulation stipulates the following: The Minister may, based on a recommendation by the Director General, take the necessary measures against any bureau or correspondent who violates the provisions of this Regulation or the instructions based upon it, including not renewing the accreditation of either of them or revoking it and informing the entity at which he works of this.

Lawyer Sharari confirmed that granting and withdrawing accreditation is an act of sovereignty. The minister may carry it out when he sees an interest in this.

He added: As for the license, it is issued to a Jordanian or non-Jordanian channel broadcasting from the Kingdom. The license of such a channel may not be withdrawn except based on a judicial order or in the event of failure to pay fees, according to the Audiovisual Media Law No. 26 of 2015.

Sharari pointed out that the decision to withdraw accreditation means that the channel may not operate in Jordan at all and may not cover any event subject to a penalty, as specified in the Law and Regulation.

The decision to withdraw the accreditation of Al Jazeera TV in Jordan has generated mixed reactions. Hasan Shoubaki, chief of Al Jazeera Bureau in Jordan, told AKEED that the Media Commission had informed the bureau of the channel of the decision to "withdraw the license of the channel." He refused to provide more details.

The Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists issued a statement, in which it opposed the government"s decision to "revoke the license of Al Jazeera Bureau in Jordan." It expressed hope that the (government) would reverse this decision and allow the channel to resume operations as usual.

The Jordan Press Association (JPA) did not comment on the government"s decision. However, at least one news site quoted the interactive page of JPA President Rakan Saaideh as calling on the government to reverse its decision to "revoke the license of Al Jazeera Bureau in Amman."

Against the backdrop of this decision, media outlets and social media platforms last Saturday carried a video, along with a report, claiming that Yaser Abuhilalah, director of Al Jazeera TV, was beaten in one of the streets of the capital, Amman. The video is old and dates back to early 2009. Abuhilalah and others wrote on their interactive pages that the news was old. They confirmed that Abuhilalah had not left Doha and is still at work.

The relationship between Jordan and Qatar has ranged between lukewarm and cautious. This has always reflected on the Kingdom"s relationship with Al Jazeera TV. News had been published previously to the effect that Jordan was dissatisfied with "some Qatar-sponsored satellite channels that distort the image of Jordan."

According to press reports, Jordan closed Al Jazeera TV Bureau for the second time on 7 August 2002 and "withdrew the license given to the bureau" and suspended all facilities granted to it. It also prevented persons who pose as correspondents of the channel from conducting work or carrying out any activity inside the Kingdom and held them legally accountable. However, this has not appeared at all in a report published by the Qatari channel through Al Jazeera Public Liberties and Human Rights Center titled "Price of Truth," in which it reported what it said were "violations" against it. The report covered the period from 1999 until the end of 2016.

The report merely refers to the arrest of Yaser Abuhilalah, correspondent of the channel in Amman, in December 2001 while he was covering a march in support of Osama bin Laden in the city of Maan. He was released 24 hours later. This coincided with the detention of Sawsan Abu Hamdeh, Al Jazeera correspondent in the Jordanian capital, for one hour.