Jordanian journalist’s hearing postponed to Feb. 1

The Jordanian journalist Taysseer al-Najjar had been brought before Abu Dhabi Appeal Court on Wednesday the 18th of January 2017.

Al-Najjar’s hearing was postponed on the 1st of February.

Earlier on Dec. 3, UAE authorities at Abu Dhabi airport prevented al-Najjar from boarding a flight to Jordan to visit his wife and children for unknown reasons.

After blocking him from travelling, the UAE authorities summoned al-Najjar to a police station in Abu Dhabi on December 13, 2015, and detained him there.

Since then, he was put on trial for three Facebook posts in which he criticized Egypt, Israel, and gulf countries, the last of which was published on his arrest day.

Al-Najjar’s detention and potential prosecution for the exercise of free speech is a violation of fundamental human rights.