Amman, Nov. 8 (Petra) -- The government took a qualitative step on Sunday by introducing a package of urgent legislative amendments aimed at countering terrorism crimes, a move that legal experts and specialists confirmed transcends traditional punishment concepts toward a comprehensive preventive approach to ensure community protection.

According to Cabinet decisions, the proposed amendments include doubling the minimum penalties up to the death penalty, mandating the accumulation of sentences for multiple offenses, and introducing post-conviction precautionary measures such as electronic monitoring. The changes also deny convicted terrorists early release, backed by legal and institutional assurances that these measures align with the rule of law and constitutional justice.

Security agencies continue to track complex cross-border financing networks to dry up the sources of extremism in a proactive battle that seeks not only to thwart terrorist operations, but also to dismantle the ideological and cyber infrastructure fueling violence and targeting national stability.

Experts speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) confirmed that proactive strategies penetrate deep into underground organizations to dismantle covert cells and track hidden supply lines, tackling both field threats and the ideological and material sources of extremism.

Constitutional Law Professor at the University of Jordan, Laith Nasrawin, stated that the Cabinet’s decision to amend anti-terrorism legislation represents a critical step dictated by current security challenges and historical imperatives. He noted that the amendments do not merely toughen penalties but reflect a broader revision of the state's penal policy commensurate with the gravity of these crimes and their impact on national security and social peace.

Nasrawin explained that raising minimum penalties, accumulating sentences for multiple crimes, and toughening criminal liability for instigators, accomplices, and collaborators sends a firm message that any participant in a terrorist act will face deterrent punishments matching the severity of their actions.

He added that the hallmark of the amendments is their shift from traditional punishment to a preventive paradigm ensuring continued societal protection even after sentences are served through precautionary measures such as electronic tracking, house arrest, and excluding terrorist convicts from early release. Granting these amendments urgent status and referring them to the House of Representatives within two weeks reflects the government's resolve to move from condemnation to action that prevents crime before it occurs.

The proposed government amendments include doubling the minimum penalties under the Prevention of Terrorism Law from 5 years to 10 years and up to 15 years in specific cases, reaching the death penalty. They also mandate sentence accumulation rather than applying only the maximum sentence when multiple crimes occur, ensuring general and specific deterrence.

Additionally, the amendments provide legal authority to impose post-sentence precautionary measures including electronic tracking and house arrest and increase penalties for terrorism-related hate speech and amend the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centers Law to deny individuals convicted of terrorism early release upon serving three-quarters of their sentence. Under the new rules, a year of imprisonment for these convicts will mean 12 full months instead of 9, forming part of a comprehensive legislative review to reinforce state immunity and preserve stability, according to Nasrawin.

For his part, former President of the State Security Court and terrorism crimes specialist, attorney Amer Al-Halseh, stated that recent events require a legal and institutional re-examination of legislative adequacy not as an emotional reaction, but through a rigorous review to plug loopholes and adapt to evolving terrorist methods and online recruitment.

Al-Halseh emphasized that countering terrorism does not mean an uncontrolled expansion of criminalization or reducing fair trial guarantees, asserting that the strength of the law lies in its precision, fairness, respect for criminal legality, and proportionality between crime and punishment.

He stressed the necessity of amending Article 34 of the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centers Law to explicitly exclude those convicted of terrorism crimes from early release. Good behavior within correctional walls, he argued, does not constitute sufficient proof that criminal danger has ended in cases tied to extremist ideology and terrorist groups, proposing explicit wording to prevent release prior to serving the full sentence.

From the same legal perspective, Constitutional Law Professor Saif Al-Junaidi explained that Jordan is engaged in a fight against terrorism targeting its stability and national cohesion, stressing that the state has maintained the rule of law and constitutional governance as fundamental pillars in managing crises.

Al-Junaidi noted that the proposed amendments skillfully balance the state's constitutional responsibility to safeguard its security and social peace with guaranteeing individuals' rights to a fair trial.

He pointed out that introducing post-sentence precautionary measures establishes a qualitative shift toward managing terrorist risk under judicial supervision, proving that the rule of law is not a constraint on fighting terrorism but rather the source of strength and legitimacy for protecting the homeland and society.

//Petra// AF

08/11/2026 21:33:33