Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II said Sunday he is proud of the state of human rights in Jordan and pledged the country's constant keenness to advance rights in line with the best international practices and "in a manner to achieve the aspirations of its people".

Speaking upon receiving the annual report on the condition of human rights in Jordan in 2014, the King urged action through partnership and cooperation among all stakeholders, both governmental and civic, to build on the national achievements made in the areas of civil, political and social rights of the Jordan citizen.

Welcoming President of the Board of Trustees of the National Centre for Human Rights (JNCHR) Adnan Al Bakheet, who handed him a copy of the report, King Abdullah said that he valued and supported the centre's role along with that of the various institutions "within the framework of raising citizens' awareness about human rights and advancing and protecting them across the country".

He stressed the need to take note of the observations and recommendations that the report contained and to build on them "in a manner that ensures that the state of human rights in Jordan is promoted".

The King also emphasised the importance of ensuring that rights reports are perpetually compiled in an institutionalized, open and transparent fashion while continually updating governmental plans and programmes in this domain.

During the audience at Al Husseiniyah Palace, Bakhit outlined the key areas of the report that tackled civic, political, social and economic rights and the mechanisms with which the JNCHR had handled the applications and complaints it had received in cooperation with the various entities.

Briefing the meeting, attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the King's Office Jaafar Hassan and Commissioner-General for Human Rights in Jordan Mousa Breizat, the JNCHR chief addressed the positive as well as negative aspects the rights watchdog had monitored over the past year and its action plan to deal with them the year round "based on the highest degrees of integrity and transparency".

"The report covered (various) aspects of Jordanian public life, legislative life, the condition of prisons and inmates, administrative detention and the role of administrative governors", Bakhit told Petra in an Interview.

He said the report, which will be declared at a press conference tomorrow, expounds the issue of liberties, particularly the freedom of expression, press freedom, the right of access to information as well as the reality of higher education and compulsory education in Jordan and the problems that need to be addressed at the national level. Bakhit also said the JNCHR had managed to close its ties with governmental agencies, mainly ministries, concerned authorities and security bodies, and is seeking to build an interactive relationship with communities and civil society institutions nationwide. He also referred to the centre's relations with relevant international organisations and the Arab Human Rights Network.