| Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Crime rates* | |
| Violent crimes | |
| Homicide | 1.0 |
| Rape | 2.0 |
| Robbery | 6.1 |
| Aggravated assault | 261.9 |
| Property crimes | |
| Burglary | 0.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 6.5 |
Notes *Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population. Source: Crime Statistics - Jordan | |
This is an overview of crime in Jordan .
Jordan has experienced a significant decrease in terrorism since 2020. Despite this, the country has faced a continued threat from extremist groups. [1]
Analysts reported that Islamist groups in Jordan are growing in size and becoming increasingly violent, and in early 2015, the Islamic State and other terrorist groups had at least 9,000 supporters in the country, and 2,000 of them left for Syria. Leading Jordanian expert in Islamist groups Mohammed Abu Rumman stated that, "the real danger of [ISIS] is not external, it is internal," and that radical Islamist ideologies are reaching middle class students in the country. [2]
Extremists kill an average of 20 women a year in Jordan in honor killings because they have supposedly disgraced their families. However, human rights groups believe the actual number is higher because Jordanian authorities reportedly do not document every incident. Despite the punishment for murder being death, courts often commute sentences for honor killings. [3]
Jordan serves as a source, transit, and destination for human trafficking. [4] The US Department of State ranked Jordan at Tier 2 on its 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, stating that the country's government did not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, but was making significant efforts to do so. [5]
Many foreign workers in Jordan are undocumented, making them more vulnerable to trafficking due to informal work arrangements. Jordan's kafala system also increases their vulnerability due to it preventing them from changing employers without consent from the initial employer. Refugees from Syria, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq, primarily women and children, are vulnerable to trafficking, with some working illegally or in the informal sector. An NGO estimated that there were at least 500,000 workers; primarily women from South and Southeast Asia, in Jordan who were highly susceptible to forced labor in 2022. [6]
Cases of Syrian refugee women and girls being sold into forced marriages have been reported. Lebanese, North African, and Eastern European women who migrated to Jordan for work have also been targeted by sex traffickers, and so have Jordanian women working in nightclubs. [6]
Since 2020, smugglers have increasingly used Jordan as a corridor to traffic illegal narcotics out of Syria and into the richer Gulf states. [7] [8] The most widely consumed drug in the country is cannabis resin, with most of it originating from Lebanon and entering through the border with Syria and Iraq. Captagon is also present in the country. Though Jordan has been used primarily as a transit zone for the drug, its expanding regional market has attracted domestic users as well, primarily young people in Amman. Drugs such as heroin and Joker, a synthetic form of cannabis often mixed with toxic compounds, have been smuggled through Jordan with the purpose of transiting them to the Gulf states. However, the two attracted a small domestic market. Cocaine also has a presence in the country, however due to its expensive costs, it is not as notable as other drugs. Despite this, traffickers have occasionally attempted to smuggle it via air. [4]
The use of drones by smugglers to transport narcotics into Jordan has become an increased threat. Drones efficiently evade detection and interception. They are also more cost-effective, with the devices being estimated to cost around US$1,000 or less, and some or all of the drones used have been equipped with an autonomous return function, which ensures their return to their operators. Due to this, they are responsible for establishing more security challenges for Jordan. Land-based smuggling, however, has remained the dominant method in drug trafficking due to its efficacy. There has still been a surge in the use of drones to traffic drugs, but Jordanian authorities managed to thwart eleven incidents involving drones in 2023. [9]
The weapons used by smugglers have become more advanced, with their armory including rocket-propelled grenades, mines, and anti-tank weaponry. [8]
At least 160 groups operate in southern Syria, close to the Jordanian border. [10]
Armed smugglers from Syria have clashed with Jordanian forces numerous times in attempts to breach the country's border, causing casualties on both sides. Jordan has blamed Iran-backed militias for its drug war. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly aided in the establishment of a Captagon factory in al-Bukamal, which is also allegedly monitored by Hezbollah affiliates. [11] Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya blamed Syria for the increase in drug trafficking cases, and stated that every truck that enters the country from the Jaber crossing is presumed to be carrying drugs unless proven otherwise. He also claimed that the Syrian government earns US$5 billion yearly from narcotics trade. [12] Other observers blame Syria's Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Army, however they deny involvement in the production of Captagon. [13] Senior Jordanian officer Colonel Mustafa al-Hiyari confirmed that some Syrian Army checkpoints cooperated with smugglers and provided protection for them, however he could not confirm that they were instructed to do so, and suggested that the incidents were examples of corruption. [10] Syria's 4th and 5th brigades, and some Hezbollah affiliates also reportedly play roles in the acquisition of drones used by smugglers. [9]
Illegal arms trade in Jordan is relatively small compared to its neighboring countries. Despite this, there has been an increase in arms smuggling on its border with Israel, particularly in the north-west region. Some arms smugglers have links to terrorist organizations and regime forces in neighboring countries. The normalization of arms ownership in Jordan has created an increase in domestic demand for weapons, and the remaining arms are typically sold to buyers in the Palestinian territories. [4] Mossad has blamed the increase in arms smuggling into Israel on Iran, and Benjamin Netanyahu called for the creation of a "security fence" between the border of the West Bank and Jordan in order to reduce drug and arms smuggling into the country. [14] In the first months of 2023, the Israel Defense Forces seized around 1,600 arms being smuggled into Israel. [15] Arms smuggling activities are typically concentrated in the Jordan Valley. [16]
In Palestine, there has been an increase in demand for arms, and Jordan has a large supply of weapons, resulting in mutual motivation to engage in smuggling. The recipients of the arms are suspected to be mainly terrorist and criminal organizations. However, it is likely that some of the weapons are intended for Hamas and elements in Fatah to expand their capabilities to compete for control over the Palestinian Authority. [15]
In 2021, the homicide rate in Jordan was 1 case per 100,000 population. [17]
Though not as prevalent as other crimes facilitated by the internet, cybercrimes still have a presence in Jordan. Cybercriminals often attempt to steal data, disrupt networks, and exploit infrastructure to launch more attacks. Reports have suggested an increase in the number of malware attacks in the country. Other common forms of cybercrimes in Jordan are the use of spyware and ransomware attempts. [4]
Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led since 1992 by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament.
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, social scientists define smuggling as the purposeful movement across a border in contravention to the relevant legal frameworks.
The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws. The think tank Global Financial Integrity's Transnational Crime and the Developing World report estimates the size of the global illicit drug market between US$426 and US$652 billion in 2014 alone. With a world GDP of US$78 trillion in the same year, the illegal drug trade may be estimated as nearly 1% of total global trade. Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally, and it remains very difficult for local authorities to reduce the rates of drug consumption.
Narcoterrorism, in its original context, is understood to refer to the attempts of narcotics traffickers to influence the policies of a government or a society through violence and intimidation, and to hinder the enforcement of anti-drug laws by the systematic threat or use of such violence. As with most definitions of terrorism, it typically only refers to non-state actors.
Narco-state is a political and economic term applied to countries where all legitimate institutions become penetrated by the power and wealth of the illegal drug trade. The term was first used to describe Bolivia following the 1980 coup of Luis García Meza which was seen to be primarily financed with the help of narcotics traffickers. Other well-known examples are Honduras, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, Myanmar and Syria, where drug cartels produce, ship and sell drugs such as captagon, cocaine, heroin and marijuana.
Maher al-Assad is a Syrian general and commander of the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armoured Division, which together with Syria's Military Intelligence form the core of the country's security forces. He is also a member of the Central Committee of the Ba'ath Party's Syrian Regional Branch.
Fenethylline is a codrug of amphetamine and theophylline and a prodrug to both. It is also spelled phenethylline and fenetylline (INN); other names for it are amphetamin
The funding of Hezbollah comes from Lebanese business groups, private persons, businessmen, the Lebanese diaspora involved in African diamond exploration, other Islamic groups and countries, and the taxes paid by the Shia Lebanese. Hezbollah says that the main source of its income comes from its own investment portfolios and donations by Muslims.
Crime in India has been recorded since the British Raj, with comprehensive statistics now compiled annually by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India).
Bhutan has a low crime rate. Incidents of petty crime are occasionally reported in the country. Violent crime is very uncommon. Some cases of drug abuse are reported; alcohol abuse is a problem. But in general, drug trafficking is low. The most serious threat to Bhutan's security is terrorism by different terrorist groups from neighboring countries illegally camped in the nation.
The Iran–Israel proxy conflict, also known as the Iran–Israel proxy war or Iran–Israel Cold War, is an ongoing proxy conflict between Iran and Israel. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias, most notably Hezbollah. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran has backed Palestinian groups such as Hamas. Israel has supported Iranian rebels, such as the People's Mujahedin of Iran, conducted airstrikes against Iranian allies in Syria and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists. In 2018 Israeli forces directly attacked Iranian forces in Syria.
Jordanian–Syrian border incidents during the Syrian Civil War refers to violent incidents on the arid 379 km (235 mi) Jordan–Syria border over the course of the Syrian Civil War.
Following the outbreak of the protests of Syrian revolution during the Arab Spring in 2011 and the escalation of the ensuing conflict into a full-scale civil war by mid-2012, the Syrian Civil War became a theatre of proxy warfare between various regional powers such as Turkey and Iran. Spillover of the Syrian civil war into the wider region began when the Iraqi insurgent group known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) started intervening in the conflict from 2012.
The alleged illicit activities of the North Korean state include manufacture and sale of illegal drugs, the manufacture and sale of counterfeit consumer goods, human trafficking, arms trafficking, wildlife trafficking, counterfeiting currency, terrorism, and other areas. It is alleged many of these activities are undertaken at the direction and under the control of the North Korean government and the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, with their proceeds going towards advancing the country's nuclear and conventional arms production, funding the lifestyles of the country's elite, and propping up the North Korean economy.
The Jordanian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War began on 22 September 2014, with airstrikes on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets, and escalated after the murder of Muath al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot who was captured by ISIL when his F-16 Fighter Jet crashed over Syria in early 2015. Though Jordan's strikes in Syria largely tapered off after December 2015, airstrikes have continued through February 2017, and Jordan has continued to support rebel groups in Syria and host military activities of other countries.
Al-Tanf is a U.S. military base in an American occupied part of the Homs Governorate, Syria. It is located 24km west of the al-Walid border crossing in the Syrian Desert. The surrounding deconfliction zone is located along the Iraq–Syria border and the Jordan–Syria border. The garrison is located along a critical road known as the M2 Baghdad–Damascus Highway. The Rukban refugee camp for internally displaced Syrians is located within the deconfliction zone.
Cannabis in Jordan is illegal. In 2018, Anwar Tarawneh, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) reported that "marijuana is the most consumed drug in Jordan", with the AND seizing 1.5 tonnes of cannabis that year. As Jordan is a signatory to the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
Corruption in Syria follows the familiar patterns of state-based corruption, namely government officials abusing their political powers for private gain in the country of Syria.
The illegal drug trade in Israel encompasses all the trafficking of illicit substances within the country of Israel. While many drugs are sold and dealt in Israel, Israel is not a major hub for drug traffickers, nor is it a major hotspot for the purchase, transporation, or sale of drugs by consumers. Although Israel as a country does not experience overall high levels of drug trafficking, volume has increased in recent years and 2022 saw a record high number of drug flow through the country.
The drug economy in Lebanon refers to the expanding Lebanese involvement in both drug production and trade, a phenomenon substantiated by studies. The economic and political upheaval in Lebanon, as delineated in a study by the Euro-Gulf Information Center, has driven Hezbollah, wherein narcotics serve as a notable revenue stream, to intensify its involvement in the drug economy. Western intelligence agencies estimate that Lebanon produces over 4 million pounds of hashish and 20,000 pounds of heroin annually, generating profits exceeding US$4 billion. According to The Washington Post, Lebanon's drug industry contributes substantially to the country's economy, accounting for over half of its foreign-exchange earnings.
