Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have raised concerns with their Jordanian counterparts on reported violations of media freedom (a) in that country generally and (b) in connection with the intimidation and detention of Syrian journalists in exile there, such as Syrian freelance journalist Ibrahim Awwad.

Jordan is a valued partner of the UK and we maintain a close dialogue with the Government of Jordan and Jordanian civil society. This includes discussion of human rights issues and media freedom. We are aware of the reported arrest of Ibrahim Awwad. The UK continues to encourage compliance with Jordan's international human rights obligations and supports efforts being made by the Jordanian Government and civil society to that end.

The FCDO remains committed to the Global Media Freedom campaign launched in 2018. Through the UK's co-chairing of the Media Freedom Coalition we are working to improve media freedom internationally. The Coalition is taking action to defend media freedom including through statements on the deteriorating situation for media across the globe. We do not currently fund projects in Jordan focused specifically on media freedom.