In February, the government submitted an 3. “Japan: Abhorrent executions crush hopes of progress under new amendment bill to the Act. The bill prime minister”, 21 December maintained the presumption of detention, and proposed amendments did not provide JORDAN for maximum periods of detention and continued to deny due process to individuals by failing to allow for judicial review of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan detention orders. Moreover, despite very low Head of state: Abdullah II bin al-Hussein rates of acceptance of asylum applications – Head of government: Bisher al-Khasawneh under 1% annually since 2012 – the bill included provisions that allowed the Freedom of peaceful assembly continued to authorities to deport detained asylum seekers be curtailed, including under sweeping after a limited appeals procedure. The emergency legislation introduced in 2020. government withdrew the bill in May following The authorities also restricted freedom of domestic criticism and international pressure. expression, both online and offline. Gender- In September, the Tokyo High Court found based violence increased in the context of that a decision to deport two Sri Lankan men worsening economic conditions and the day after their asylum claims were Covid-19 restrictions, as well as due to the rejected was unconstitutional. It ruled that continuing lack of legal protection against the immigration authorities had essentially such crimes. Jordan continued to host over deprived the men of the right to appeal and 2.7 million refugees, all of whom were ordered the state to pay ¥600,000 eligible for free Covid-19 vaccinations, but (approximately US$5,300) in compensation. food insecurity among refugees rose sharply. DEATH PENALTY BACKGROUND Three death row inmates – Yasutaka Jordan began its Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in Fujishiro, Mitsunori Onogawa and Tomoaki January and, according to UNHCR, the UN Takanezawa – were hanged on 21 December, refugee agency, was one of the first countries in the first executions since 2019. All three to offer free vaccinations to all, including men had been found guilty of murder. refugees and asylum seekers. Yasutaka Fujishiro suffered from a personality In April, former crown prince Hamzah bin disorder. Mitsunori Onogawa and Tomoaki al-Hussein was placed under house arrest, Takanezawa were waiting for the results of accused of planning a coup, which he requests for retrial at the time of their denied. execution.3 In June, King Abdallah ordered the Iwao Hakamada, who spent 47 years on formation of a 92-member royal committee to death row and endured long periods of “modernize the legislative system”. solitary confinement having been found guilty Jordan’s economic situation continued to of murder in 1968, remained out of prison on deteriorate, partly due to the impact of temporary release awaiting a retrial following Covid-19 measures. In September, the a Supreme Court decision in 2020. His case government reopened the country, but and original trial highlighted ongoing maintained the sweeping emergency law concerns about the use of torture by the enacted at the start of the pandemic in 2020. police to extract “confessions”. FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY 1. “Japan: Government must deliver an LGBTI bill that ensures zero The authorities continued to curtail freedom of peaceful assembly, including by arbitrarily tolerance of discrimination”, 1 June 2. “Japan: Judicial ruling marks groundbreaking step towards equality”, arresting people protesting against the 17 March government’s Covid-19 measures. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 215