He sank into massive debt and couldn’t pay rent on his business. “How can I pay my debts inside prison?” Qraih asked in an interview. “I have the intention to pay my debts, but I’m powerless inside prison.”Hundreds of thousands of Jordanians like Qraih are faced with incarceration because of draconian debt laws that violate international human rights law, according to the report published Tuesday by Human Rights Watch. Most countries outside the Middle East have abolished imprisonment for debt, the group said. “Debt imprisonment targets those without the ability to pay and helps create cycles of endless debt,” the report said.

Source: Egypt Independent March 16, 2021 08:15 UTC