Born: 1948, Jordan
Died: NA
Country most active: Jordan
Also known as: توجان الفيصل
Toujan al-Faisal is a former Jordanian television journalist and human rights advocate. She became the first female member of the Jordanian Parliament and is of Circassian descent.
In 1989, an apostasy case was brought against Toujan al-Faisal in a Sharia court in southern Amman. Although Jordan has no apostasy law, the petitioners sought to declare her apostate and divorced from her husband. The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction, and on appeal in 1990, the Sharia appellate court dismissed the case, finding no evidence of apostasy.
Al-Faisal was elected to the Jordanian Parliament in the 1993 elections, following the repeal of martial law, serving from 1993 to 1997. In subsequent elections, government interference allegedly prevented her re-election.
In 2002, al-Faisal accused the then-Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb of corruption in an open letter to King Abdullah II. Subsequently arrested on March 16, she was released on bail on March 27, rearrested two days later before a planned press conference. On May 16, 2002, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the State Security Court for allegedly tarnishing the Jordanian state, defaming the judiciary, spreading false information abroad, and inciting unrest.
Al-Faisal faced mistreatment in prison, leading to international human rights outcry. She initiated a hunger strike, losing 12 kg in less than a month. Released on June 26, 2002, via a special royal pardon, her conviction remained. Determined to continue her fight, she declared her refusal to use a wheelchair, emphasizing resilience.
In 2003, the elections committee barred al-Faisal from running in parliamentary elections, citing her prior conviction. Despite legal efforts, the court upheld the decision, deeming her ineligible due to a previous non-political offense.
International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights, criticized the election committee’s and court’s decisions as unjust, arguing that al-Faisal was being denied her right to participate in elections based on an unfair trial for expressing non-violent political beliefs.