الضّوابط الدستوريّة لقانون الدّفاع الأردنيّ: دراسة جائحة كورونا

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON JORDAN’S DEFENSE LAW: A COVID-19 CASE STUDY

Authors

  • Saif Ziad Aljunidi Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1825-7047
  • Farah Alshanik Faculty of Computer and Information Technology, Department of Computer Science, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5372-5070
  • Ahmad Aqeil Alzaqibh Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan
  • Hazem Suleiman Toubat Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0519-1697

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol13no2.1152

Keywords:

COVID-19 pandemic, state of emergency, martial law, defense law, defense orders, jāʾiḥat Kūrūnā, ḥālat al-ṭawāriʾ, al-aḥkām al-ʿurfiyyah, qānūn al-difāʿ, awāmir al-difāʿ

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the Jordanian experience in applying Defense Law No. (13) of 1992 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the first actual case of its implementation since its enactment, in light of comparative constitutional standards and international human rights norms. The experience revealed significant organizational gaps in balancing the demands of crisis management with the protection of public rights and freedoms, amid the absence of clear constitutional safeguards governing the declaration of a state of emergency or the exercise of exceptional powers. In this context, the role of the King emerged as the supreme guarantor of constitutional legitimacy, by establishing referential controls over government powers in the absence of parliamentary and judicial oversight, laying the foundation for emerging constitutional conventions. The study concludes on the necessity of constitutionalizing the principles of exceptional legitimacy, by entrenching the roles of the parliament and the constitutional court as effective supervisory bodies during emergency conditions, thus enhancing democracy and the rule of law, and balancing public order with the protection of rights. It also recommends reconsidering Articles (124) and (125) of the Constitution to ensure the participation of the House of Representatives in declaring a state of emergency, prohibiting its dissolution during such periods, and granting the constitutional court the authority to monitor the continuation of the exceptional circumstances.Furthermore, the study proposes amending the Defense Law by including a provision that defines the legal status of defense orders as administrative decisions subject to appeal before administrative courts, and revising Articles (6) and (7) to avoid confusion between administrative orders and criminal penalties, thereby preserving the principle of separation of powers and protecting the legislative competence of the parliament.

 

ملخص البحث

تسعى هذه الدراسة إلى تحليل التجربة الأردنية الأولى في تطبيق قانون الدفاع رقم (13) لسنة 1992 خلال جائحة كورونا، كأول حالة فعليّة لتفعيله منذ سنّه، وفق المنهج التحليلي النقدي للأسس القانونية والواقعية لتفعيل قانون الدفاع رقم (13) لسنة 1992 في الأردن، مع التركيز على صلاحيات السلطة التنفيذية في الطوارئ في سياق تحليل النصوص الدستورية والتشريعية ذات الصلة وموقف القضاء الإداري في ضوء مدى اتساقها مع المعايير الدستوريّة المقارنة والمعايير الدوليّة لحقوق الإنسان. وقد كشفت التجربة عن ثغرات تنظيمية جوهرية في ضبط العلاقة بين متطلبات إدارة الأزمات وضمان الحقوق والحريات العامة، في ظل غياب ضوابط دستورية واضحة تحكم إعلان حالة الطوارئ أو تطبيق السلطات الاستثنائيّة. وفي هذا السّياق، برز دور الملك بوصفه الضامن الأعلى للشرعية الدستوريّة، من خلال إرساء ضوابط مرجعيّة لصلاحيات الحكومة في ظل غياب الرقابة البرلمانيّة والقضائيّة، التي أسست لبوادر أعراف دستوريّة. خلصت الدراسة إلى ضرورة دسترة مبادئ الشرعية الاستثنائيّة، عبر تكريس دور البرلمان والمحكمة الدستورية كأداتين رقابيتين فعّالتين في الظروف الطارئة، بما يعزز الديمقراطية وسيادة القانون، ويوازن بين النظام العام وحماية الحقوق. كما توصي بإعادة النظر في المادتين (124) و(125) من الدستور، لضمان إشراك مجلس النواب في إعلان حالة الطوارئ، وحظر حله أثناء سريانها، إضافة إلى منح المحكمة الدستورية صلاحية مراقبة مدى استمرار الظرف الاستثنائيّ. وتقترح الدراسة تعديل قانون الدفاع بإدراج نص يحدد القيمة القانونية لأوامر الدفاع باعتبارها قرارات إداريّة قابلة للطعن أمام القضاء الإداري، وإعادة صياغة المادتين (6) و(7) منه لتفادي الخلط بين الأوامر الإدارية والعقوبات الجزائية، بما يصون مبدأ الفصل بين السلطات ويحمي الاختصاص التشريعي للبرلمان.

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Published

2025-08-31

How to Cite

الضّوابط الدستوريّة لقانون الدّفاع الأردنيّ: دراسة جائحة كورونا: THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON JORDAN’S DEFENSE LAW: A COVID-19 CASE STUDY. (2025). Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 13(2), 339-364. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol13no2.1152