AMMAN, Jordan — Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) expresses grave concern over the prosecution of Jordanian-American investigative journalist Ali Younes, a correspondent for Drop Site News, following the alleged republication of an article discussing U.S. financial assistance to Jordan.

According to published information, Jordanian intelligence officers detained Younes upon his arrival at Queen Alia International Airport on August 17, 2026, and took him for questioning before releasing him and ordering him to appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amman. On August 24, authorities informed him that he faced charges related to “undermining national security” and “sedition and hate crimes.” He has also been barred from leaving Jordan and could face up to one year in prison, according to a statement by his employer.

The case reportedly concerns Younes’ alleged republication of an opinion article titled “Stop Sending Billions of Dollars in U.S. Aid to Jordan,” published in July. The article examined the scale of U.S. financial assistance to Jordan and how that assistance is used.

Discussing foreign aid, government policies and the conduct of public officials falls squarely within protected journalistic activity and legitimate political debate. The available information does not indicate that the republication involved direct incitement to violence, discrimination or hatred that would justify the use of broad criminal charges framed around national security.

The prosecution also raises broader concerns about the use of Jordan’s Cybercrime Law to restrict peaceful online expression. Criminal proceedings against a journalist for circulating political commentary are difficult to reconcile with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas and requires any restrictions on expression to be provided by law and to be necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim.

Institutional Demands

Women Journalists Without Chains calls on the Jordanian authorities to:

• Immediately drop all charges against Ali Younes;
• Lift the travel ban imposed on him;
• Guarantee that he faces no harassment, intimidation or retaliatory measures because of his journalistic work or views;
• End the use of broad national security, sedition and hate-related charges to punish peaceful expression and the circulation of political commentary; and
• Review the application of the Cybercrime Law to ensure that it does not criminalize legitimate journalism or political speech protected under international human rights law.

WJWC also calls on the U.S. government to provide Younes with all necessary consular assistance in his capacity as a U.S. citizen.