AMMAN, Jordan, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Jordan's controversial anti-terrorism law, passed Sunday, is reverberating throughout opposition circles, which see in it an attempt to restrict public freedom.
Some 14 opposition parties, including the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood Organization, lashed out at the law Tuesday, calling it "martial law" and "a blunt violation of the Jordanian constitution and the International Declaration of Human Rights."
A spokesman for the opposition parties stressed that they will reject the law, which deprives the public of freedoms it has the right to have.
"We affirm full rejection and protest of all opposition parties of the anti-terrorism law," Yaacoub Kaswani said, noting that the parties will discuss the negative impacts of the law on public liberties.
Kaswani said the opposition parties believe that the "implementation of the law will lead to curbing public liberties and will serve the U.S. and Israel, which consider all forms of resistance against occupation and struggle for national independence as acts of terrorism."
A majority of Jordan's parliament on Sunday endorsed the country's first anti-terrorism law, despite objections by some lawmakers, human rights watchdog groups and civilian society associations.
Jordan started working on the law following the triple bombings that hit Amman's hotels last November, killing scores of civilians.
Under the new terrorism law, relations with any terrorist group or organization are an act of terror, whether through direct action or indirectly through financing.
The bill also states that recruiting people for domestic or foreign terror networks is a terrorist act, as is possessing, manufacturing or transporting any raw material that can be used in the production of weapons for use in attacks.
Suspects can be detained for up to 30 days with no access to legal counsel, and terrorism cases are to be tried by military tribunals.
