Jordan's Media Commission issues reporting ban on Hattar murder

A letter, seen by The New Arab has been distributed to all major media outlets in Jordan, outlawing all publication on information related to the investigation.

The letter invokes Article 39 of the Press and Publications Act, 1998 which prohibits publication of the details of the investigation before it is referred to the competent court.

According to the wording of the act, the ban also extends to foreign media.

The New Arab's correspondent in Jordan said: "This is completely normal and the authorities issue this kind of order all the time in cases of this kind."

Jordanian press law differs from UK law, as journalists are free to publish the facts of a case as long as they do not publish any of the defendant's identifying details or allege guilt.

Nahed Hattar's family spoke out against the government at a sit-in involving 300 people on Monday, saying that Prime Minister Hani Mulki was directly responsible for his death.

The family have refused to collect his body out of protest, saying that they will not collect the body until the Cabinet and several high ranking officials step down.