Police raided the Jordan Teachers Syndicate headquarters in Amman and 11 of its branches across the country, shuttered them, and arrested all 13 syndicate board members on July 25, 2020, Human Rights Watch said today. Attorney General Hassan Abdallat issued the order to close the independent, elected labor union representing teachers across Jordan for a period of two years after high-profile disputes between the Jordanian government and the Teachers Syndicate.

Jordanian authorities should immediately make clear all details around the arrests and the syndicate closure and reverse the closure and release detainees if there is no legal basis to support the arrests. The authorities should halt intimidation tactics and blanket bans that prevent people from participating in protests and strikes and exercising their right to freedom of association.