Jordan Hangs Six Men, Ending a Nine-Year Moratorium on the Death Penalty

1. The 2018 Salt Terrorist Cell (two men)

• Mahmoud Nayef Mousa and Anas Anwar Adel Saleh were convicted over the formation of a terrorist cell in the city of Salt in 2018 .
• Their attack resulted in the deaths of six security personnel: Lt. Col. Moath Khamis Al-Damani, Warrant Officer Ali Adnan Qawqazah, Sgt. Hisham Abdul Rahman Al-Aqarbah, Cpl. Mohammad Ahmad Bani Yassin, Cpl. Mohammad Khaled Al-Hayajneh, and Cpl. Ahmad Idris Al-Zoubi .

2. The 2022 Al-Dalabeeh Assassination (one man)

• Ibrahim Mansour Mohammad was convicted of the 2022 killing of Brigadier General Abdul Razzaq Al-Dalabeeh during protests triggered by fuel price rises .

3. Drug-related killings of officers (three men)

• Hamzeh Mahmoud Mansour was executed for fatally shooting Cpl. Hosam Taleb Al-Abadi during an anti-narcotics raid in 2014 .
• Khaled Assaf Fayez was executed for an armed confrontation during a 2017 drug enforcement operation that killed Warrant Officer Mohammad Salameh Al-Saqarat .
• Ihab Maher Kamal was executed for killing First Lt. Ahmad Khaled Al-Rawahneh during a 2018 narcotics raid .

Legal Justification

Momani confirmed that all death sentences were issued by the State Security Court, became final after all appeals were exhausted, and were carried out under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor of the State Security Court pursuant to Article 359 of the Jordanian Criminal Procedure Law .

History of Moratoriums on Capital Punishment in Jordan

• 2006–2014: Jordan observed an informal moratorium on executions after King Abdullah II stated in 2005 that Jordan "could soon become the first country in the Middle East without capital punishment" .
• December 2014: The moratorium was lifted with the hanging of 11 men convicted of murder .
• 2015: Two people convicted of terrorism, including Sajida al-Rishawi, were executed .
• 2017: 15 people were executed in March 2017 — 10 convicted of terrorism and 5 of murder and rape .
• 2021: One execution was carried out .
• 2017–2026: No executions occurred for nine years, until this round .
• June 21, 2026: Six men hanged, resuming use of the death penalty .

Wider Implications

• Government position: The state framed the executions as a necessary enforcement of the rule of law in cases involving fatal attacks on security personnel and serious criminal activity .
• Future executions: Momani stated that "more than 100 people remain on death row in Jordan and that executions would proceed 'one by one'" .
• Domestic context: The resumption follows public debate about crime and the non-application of the death penalty; similar public pressure preceded the 2014 resumption .
• International reaction: Based on prior cycles, human rights organizations and Western governments are expected to condemn the move as a "major step backwards" .
• Retentionist status: Jordan retains capital punishment in law and has used hanging as the sole method since at least 2014. The death penalty applies to murder, rape, terrorism, aggravated robbery, drug trafficking, illegal weapons possession, war crimes, treason, and espionage .