Five Jordan Police Officers Questioned Over Man Death in Cell

(AFP/ Khalil Mazraawi)

Government coordinator for human rights Basil Tarawneh on Saturday said his office was following up on the death incident of a man while in detention by police this weekend.

The victim reportedly died while in a cell at the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“A special committee that was formed under the directives of the police chief decided to detain five police officers for questioning,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Tarawneh said his office was content “with the quick handling of the incident by the police”.

“The incident is being handled in the best professional manner and the investigation committee is comprised of three police judges,” Tarawneh told The Jordan Times, adding that “investigators are waiting for the government forensic report before taking the next step”.

“We were assured by the investigation committee that the matter was taken very seriously and anyone found responsible in any way will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” Tarawneh stressed.

He added the government is keen on securing “the utmost human rights and dignity for its citizens and the police’s prompt action is another proof that we are always going in the right direction”.

“It is important to properly apply the rule of law because in the end it will only work to strengthen the trust between citizens and the authority,” Tarawneh concluded.

Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Fadel Hmoud on Saturday said that the practices of beatings, torture and verbal and physical abuse are not in our policing, social or moral dictionaries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“No citizen can be abused under any circumstances, the law is the only supreme and ruling power on the relationship between the PSD forces and citizens,” he said during a meeting with officials of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Hmoud stressed the need to fully comply with all the transparent instructions issued by the PSD on the need to respect the citizens and provide services to them in the best and fastest ways, in addition to using modern methods to enforce the law and avoid all forms of abuse and beating under any circumstances, especially that the law has limited the reasons for the gradual use of force, according to Petra.