Mohammad Faraj has been disappeared by Jordan

Journalist Mohammad Faraj has gone missing after arriving at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan.

Faraj, a journalist and a close friend of the Canary, was reportedly escorted away by officers of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department shortly after landing. That was over a week ago — on Friday 12 December 2025.

Since then, he has effectively vanished.

Repeated attempts by his family, friends, colleagues, and comrades to locate or visit him have gone unanswered. No official confirmation has been given. Charges have not been announced. No information has been provided about his health, his whereabouts, or even the legal basis for his detention.

Mohammad Faraj — disappeared after arriving to Jordan

Mohammad Faraj’s family does not know if he is safe.

Numerous attempts have been made by his family, friends, colleagues and comrades to visit him, but all the requests remain unanswered. His family hasn’t received any updates or information about his health, whereabouts or even reasons for his arrest.

That a journalist can simply disappear in this manner is chilling — especially in a country that routinely claims to respect freedom of expression and the protection of journalists.

Mohammad Faraj’s wife, fellow journalist Rana Abi Jomaa, has expressed deep and mounting concern. On an interview with Al Mayadeen she said:

All we want right now is just to know Mohammad is okay. We also would like to know why he’s been arrested?

Rana continued:

We were on a family visit during the holidays before coming back to Lebanon for the new year. I don’t want to analyse too much or read too much into this right now. Some people are saying this is a crackdown on free speech. Others say that this is a targeted intimidation of journalists.

I don’t want to get into that right now. All I want is to know if he’s okay. Any news about Mohammad would be great.

Rana’s restraint is understandable. Her priority is her husband’s safety.

But allow us, then, Rana to do the analysis you have chosen not to.

Jordan’s intimidation of journalists

Mohammad Faraj’s disappearing cannot be viewed as anything other than intimidation. It is bullying by the Jordanian authorities, aimed solely at silencing voices that speak out against Jordan’s role in shielding Israel from accountability.

Jordan’s record in recent months speaks for itself. As Israel’s genocide in Gaza intensified, Jordan became a key logistical supply artery — providing vital supply routes through the so-called “land bridge” improvised after Yemen enforced a blockade on the genocidal state. Jordan has also intercepted Iranian drones bound for Israel, not only defending Israel’s airspace but doing so at the expense of its own population. Drone debris and shrapnel have fallen onto residential areas, injuring Jordanians in their own homes.

And now, faced with mounting domestic anger and regional outrage, Jordan appears to be naively attempting damage control. Not by changing policy, but by making an example of journalists who speak truth to power. Detaining Mohammad Faraj in silence, without explanation, is not law enforcement. It is a warning. Jordan is trying to make an example here.

But it will not work.

If the Jordanian authorities believe that disappearing journalists will help them regain control of a collapsing narrative — or whitewash their complicity over the past two years — they are deeply mistaken. We at the Canary will use every privilege and every protection afforded to us as a media organisation based in Britain to ensure this attempt at intimidation fails.

The Canary stands in full and unequivocal solidarity with Mohammad Faraj.

We demand immediate clarity on his whereabouts, his condition, and the legal grounds — if any exist — for his detention. And we call for his release without delay.

Our thoughts are with Rana, with Mohammad Faraj’s family, and with all journalists across the region who continue to speak truth to power despite the risks.

#Free_Mohammad_Faraj

Featured image via the Canary