Jordan: Assailant attacks prominent columnist
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 27 February 2008 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Jordan: Assailant attacks prominent columnist, 27 February 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48243c5923.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 24, 2008
Posted February 27, 2008
Jamil al-Nimri, Al-Ghad
ATTACKED
Al-Nimri, a columnist for the daily paper Al-Ghad, told CPJ that an assailant rang the doorbell to his residence on Gardens Street in Amman's Tla al-Ali area and asked the maid to see him. Al-Nimri said that when he came to the door, the perpetrator suddenly used a scalpel to cut his face, lightly wounding him on his left cheek, and then ran to a nearby car carrying two other men. They sped away.
Al-Nimri told CPJ that he clearly saw his attacker's face and provided a description to the authorities. He said that the Public Security Directorate announced on February 5 that they had apprehended the three perpetrators and charged them in the attack.
Al-Nimri said he believed he was attacked because of his journalism. About six months prior to the attack, he said, a guest on his now-cancelled political talk show, "Bila Koyoud," strongly criticized a deputy of the Jordanian government's lower house. The parliamentarian then threatened al-Nimri and the head of Jordan TV, which broadcast the program.
King Abdullah II condemned the attack on al-Nimri, telling the journalist that assaults on the press are unacceptable and that those behind the attack will be brought to justice, the Jordan Times reported.
