Jordanian presenter denies charge of insulting regime

Rola el-Horoub says she is not responsible for political opinions Jordanian presenter Rola el-Horoub has denied committing any offence to undermine the regime or insulting the Jordanian King Abdullah II. Defence lawyers have submitted a report to Amman’s Criminal Court, demanding acquittal for el-Haroub, who claims she is being held responsible for the views of the guests who appear in her political show.
El-Horoub said that she has hosted a number of political figures in her programme and she is only in-charge of managing the interview. She added that guests are allowed to air their opinions about Jordanian public affairs. "It is not my role to support or to oppose the viewpoints adopted by the guest," she explained.
El-Horoub has hailed her channel's commitment to free speech and expression of different opinions, without interference and within the the remit of the its licencing agreement with the audiovisual media authority.
She added that her opinion that Jordanians "should not ignore Jordan's achievements under the Hashemite leadership," was not to undermine or insult the ruling regime.
Meanwhile, the owner of Jo-Sat satellite channel Reyad el-Haroub says that media law provisions in the country allow the expression of opinions, stressing the station's commitment to legal rules. He added that the channel does not adopt the vision of the guests, but will perform its role by allowing different political powers to express their opinions.
He added that the presenter had not violated the professional line, adding that she also mentioned some of the positive things that the current leadership has managed to achieve. He added that the channel cannot control the live shows, and any insulting remark will be removed from recorded programmes.