Event Summary
Labor activist Mohamed Al-Snaid was arrested on 16 January 2026 in Dhiban, Madaba. Two others (his son Moad and journalist Amjad Al-Snaid) were also arrested with him, but released shortly, while Mohamed’s bail was initially denied. He was then detained in Zarqa’s Al-Hashmiya prison, and then finally released around a week later on 22 January 2026. His temporary arrest was under the Crime Prevention Act.
The inciting event: Al-Snaid had been calling for a sit-in by unemployed workers in Dhiban, south of Madaba — in fact, he was arrested on the way to a location. He had also been critical of the government on his Facebook page, especially on corruption and economic policies, and right before the arrest had been criticizing government nepotism placing family members in high-level positions.
Al-Snaid’s detention was a topic of social media critique, and several civil society actors issued statements calling for the release of Al-Snaid — such as the National Follow-Up Committee (لجنة المتابعه الوطنيه), the Jordan Federation of Independent Trade Unions, the Jordanian Communist Party, and the left-wing party Hashd‘s worker bloc.