- BDS coordinator Hamza Khader was arrested under Jordan’s Cybercrime Law—denounced by activists as a “kidnapping.”
- His detention exemplifies a wider crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism, with hundreds charged and civil liberties under threat.
Last week Jordanian authorities arrested Hamza Khader, national coordinator of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Jordan. He was taken to an undisclosed location. The movement said the arrest is part of a sweeping clampdown on BDS activists and others expressing solidarity with Gaza. Local sources described it not as an arrest — but as a kidnapping.
Khader’s social media activity reportedly triggered the arrest under Jordan’s Cybercrime Law, a piece of legislation increasingly used to silence dissent and speak against the ongoing going barbaric genocide. BDS movement condemned the detention, calling it a violation of fundamental rights — including freedom of opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly.
In its statement, the movement asserted that supporting Palestinians, rejecting normalisation with Israel, and expressing national or regional political stances should not be treated as threats to public order. Khader himself had previously explained that for Jordanians, the Palestinian issue is not foreign policy — it’s personal.
“Our aspirations for the Palestinian cause in Jordan differ from the rest of the world because for us, in Jordan, it is an internal issue,” he said.
Le Monde reported in 2024 that nearly 60% of Jordanians are of Palestinian descent.
Jordanian authorities have reportedly intensified their repression of pro-Palestinian activists, journalists, and members of the Muslim Brotherhood following 7th October. According to Amnesty International’s 2024 report, thousands have faced prosecution for peaceful protest, criticism of the government, or expressing support for Palestine.
Commentator Lamis Andoni, writing in The New Arab, stressed that the crackdown is broader than any one group. Khader, she noted, was not only involved in the BDS movement but had been publicly active, attending and posting images from legal protests. “He did not do anything illegal,” she said.
The Jordan Labor Party described Khader as one of the most capable and politically engaged young figures within the BDS movement. They also denounced the use of the Cybercrime Law to target him.
The law itself came into force a month before 7th October. Since then, it has been used to bring charges against hundreds. One such case is that of journalist Hiba Abu Taha. In June 2024, she was sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly using social media to “spread false news” and “defame a governmental authority.” Her offense: writing an article condemning Jordan’s interception of Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.
Khader’s case is just one thread in a wider field of repression — a sign, many say, of Jordan’s increasingly heavy-handed approach to speaking up for the oppressed.
