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Ammon News - By Banan Malkawi

AMMONNEWS - Jordanian security officials summoned the parent of a college student over what they considered are blogs that criticize government performance, "Dhabahtuna" a students' rights watchdog group said.

A statement issued by the group reported that the female student's blogs critiqued government performance "within the limits allowed by the law."

It added that the student and her family received threats to expel the student from the university if she does not stop writing blogs about the government.

The blogger resorted to shutting down her blog after pressure from her family out of fear that their daughter would be punished for her opinions.

The statement blasted government restrictions on freedom of expression, adding that "the government is no longer capable of carrying out the reform project.. [the government] wants political reform based on its own standards in which the security grip takes priority."

Dhabahtuna Campaign called on Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Wajih Oweis to take serious measures to implement the law, and to "prevent the security forces' exploitation of academic institutions as means of pressure on students."

A similar incident also took place last month in which Dabahtuna said that security forces threatened a mother of arresting her daughter if the latter doesn't curb her activism on university campus.