Jordan Resumes Executions, Hangers Six Men in First Such Killings Since 2017

Jordan carried out its first executions since 2017, hanging six men on Monday, according to a statement from Human Rights Watch. The executions signal a significant shift in the country's application of the death penalty.

The six men were convicted in Jordan's state security courts, which include both military and civilian judges. Two convictions were related to terrorism charges, while three stemmed from drug trafficking cases. Crucially, all the cases involved violence that resulted in the deaths of police or security force members.

"Carrying out six executions in a single morning marks a sharp return to a practice that Jordan has applied only sporadically since it reinstated the death penalty 12 years ago," said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. Jordanian Minister of Communications Mohammad al-Moman confirmed the executions, stating that all judicial reviews and royal decrees had been finalized.

Among those executed were Mahmoud Nayef Musa and Anwar Adel Saleh, convicted in connection with the "Salt Cell" case, where a bomb attack in August 2018 killed two Gendarmerie members and injured six. Another executed man, Ibrahim Mansour, was convicted for an ambush on a police patrol in Ma'an in December 2022 that killed Colonel Abdulrazzaq al-Dalabeeh. Human Rights Watch has called on Jordan to reimpose a moratorium on the death penalty.

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Carrying out six executions in a single morning marks a sharp return to a practice that Jordan has applied only sporadically since it reinstated the death penalty 12 years ago.