Dissident Spotlight: Ahmed Hassan Al-Zoubi
Ahmed Al-Zoubi is a satirist who has been arrested and imprisoned for his criticisms of Jordan's government.
Ahmed al-Zoubi is a political journalist and satirist who hasn’t been shy about pointing out the flaws in Jordan’s government.
Notably, al-Zoubi made a Facebook post in 2022 that expressed solidarity with striking truckers. The truckers wanted Jordan’s government to lower diesel prices so they could remain profitable enough to feed their families and remain in business.
Whatever al-Zoubi posted went too far for a sensitive autocratic government. He was arrested in 2023 and charged under Jordan’s cybercrime law for “performing an act that led to provoking conflict between the elements of the nation.” Jordan’s government also shut down al-Zoubi’s news site.
He was charged in 2023, sent to prison to serve his sentence in August 2024, and was finally released to perform community service in January 2025.
Enlightened Dictatorships are Still Dictatorships
Jordan has one of the more stable governments and modern societies in the Middle East. Compared to Iran, Jordan may as well be a modern liberal society.
But Jordan is run by its royal family, and the king’s word is law. Anytime a royal personally identifies with state power, insults to the government become insults to him personally.
So, it’s a crucial act of bravery to criticize the government. The “elements” of society should be in some degree of constant conflict. A low-simmering conflict settled through elections is how healthy liberal and democratic societies function properly. It’s why dissidents around the world attempt to have that conversation despite the legal and personal risks they incur for doing so.
Al-Zoubi is out of prison today and remains active on X. He continues to push the limits of Jordan’s modern tolerances beyond what the monarchy allows and toward what a vibrant pluralistic society can handle.