A/HRC/19/61/Add.3 147 Steps taken in previous years Recommendation Situation during visit (to be found in A/HRC/7/3/Add.2, Information received in the reporting (A/HRC/4/33/Add.3) (A/HRC/4/33/Add.3) A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 and A/HRC/16/52/Add.2) period (a) The absolute prohibition of No specific provision relates to Government: The fact that the Jordanian torture be considered for the prohibition of torture, or Constitution does not contain a provision on the incorporation into the Constitution. cruel, inhuman or degrading offence of torture, does not imply that torture is in treatment. any way permissible. The absence of such a constitutional provision cannot be legally construed as derogating from the legal obligations laid down in the CAT, nor can it be interpreted as a failing of the Constitution. 1.The Constitution contains general norms which place individual rights and freedoms in a general framework. 2. Torture is defined as a criminal offence in article 208 of the Criminal Code, which was recently amended to include explicit reference to the offence of torture, as was article 49 of the Military Criminal Code. 3. After being published in the Official Gazette, the Convention against Torture has become part of the Jordanian penal legislation. 4.The Constitution guarantees that everyone has the general and absolute right to seek a legal remedy. Under article 256 of the Civil Code, a plaintiff is entitled to seek damages for any injury suffered. (b) The highest authorities, - Implicit societal tolerance for - HE King Abdullah and the director of the Public particularly those responsible for a degree of violence against Security Directorate (PSD), Lt. Gen Muhammad law enforcement activities, declare alleged criminal suspects and Mahmud al-‗Aitan issued clear instructions that unambiguously that the culture of convicts. there was to be no torture. impunity must end and that torture - Though unspoken, many were - The General Intelligence Directorate (GID) has and ill-treatment by public officials aware that abuse of suspects issued written and oral instructions addressed to all will not be tolerated and will be and detainees occurs and personnel to refrain from abusing any detainee prosecuted. The message should be resigned that little could be physically, verbally or emotionally, and providing spread that torture is an extremely done about it. for an increase in penalties for violations. serious crime which will be - Little public discussion about punished with severe (long-term) the situation of torture. Government: Jordanian, Arab and international