JORDAN

1: A system of regulation conducive to freedom of expression, pluralism and diversity of the media Category 1
Tshwane Principles on National Security and the Right to Information (the
Tshwane Principles) 151
international and national law and practice, the Tshwane Principles set out in unprecedented
detail guidelines on the appropriate limits of secrecy, the role of whistleblowers, and other
issues in order to support those engaged in drafting, revising or implementing relevant laws
and policies.
Principle 1: Everyone has a right to access government information, including
information held by private entities that perform public functions or receive public
funds.
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the right to information. Public authorities may legitimately withhold information
operations and sources used by intelligence services.
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Principle 10A: Public authorities should never withhold information concerning
serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including
information about the circumstances and perpetrators of torture and crimes against
humanity, and the location of secret prisons. This includes information about past
abuses under previous regimes, and any information they hold regarding violations
committed by their own agents or by others.
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Within Jordan, the Protection of State Secrets and Documents, Provisional Law (SSD) is
151 Tshwane Principles on National Security and the Right to Information. 12 June 2013. Available at: http://www.
drafted by 22 civil society organisations and academic centres, facilitated by the Open Society Justice Initiative, in
consultation with the four special mandates on freedom of expression at the UN, African Commission on Human and
Europe (OSCE), and are based on more than two years of consultation around the world with government actors, the
security sector and civil society.
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