Human Rights Watch called on Jordan to release the cartoonist Imad Hajjaj, who was arrested after publishing a cartoon deemed offensive to the UAE, because it mocked Israel's opposition to selling it US F-35 aircraft.
"The Jordanian authorities must immediately release Hajjaj and drop the arbitrary charges against him," the organization said in a statement published on its website.
"The description of a satirical cartoon as a terrorist crime only confirms that Jordan intends to muzzle its citizens who speak freely," the statement quoted Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of the organization.
He added that the arrest of Hajjaj through the State Security Court "sends a message that the Jordanian authorities prefer to violate the rights of their citizens rather than risk offending the feelings of a Gulf leader."
On Thursday, the public prosecutor of the Jordanian State Security Court decided to detain Hajjaj for 14 days pending investigation.
A judicial source said at the time that the decision was issued after Hajjaj was referred to the State Security Court, where "the public prosecutor charged him with engaging in acts and writings that could disturb relations with a friendly country."
The drawing mocked the position of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, after Israel refused to sell F-35s to the UAE, two weeks after the normalization of relations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
The painter, who was arrested last Wednesday evening, if found guilty of the charge against him, faces up to 5 years in prison.
Hajjaj, 52, is one of the most prominent cartoonists in Jordan. He has worked for local and Arab newspapers, covering the political, economic and social situation.