STRASBOURG: Jordan’s Senate Speaker Faisal Al-Fayez on Thursday accused Western nations of adopting “double standards” on democracy and public freedoms, arguing that true democratic values required consistency and commitment to human rights.

Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, Al-Fayez stressed that democracy was a shared responsibility that upheld citizens’ rights, equality, and social justice. However, he warned that some Western nations failed to apply these principles uniformly.

“The reality confirms that the West has begun to adopt a policy of double standards regarding issues of public freedoms and democratic practice,” he said.

The two-day conference is set to cover a range of topics, including the protection of democracy, freedom of expression, and the impact of current global political and security challenges.

Al-Fayez argued that sustaining democracy required political and security stability, as well as a rejection of selective approaches to human rights. He called for a commitment to defending international organizations and institutions that uphold justice, rather than interfering in their principles for political gain.

He said: “We must implement international legitimacy resolutions pertaining to people’s rights to freedom and independence, reject racism and sectarianism, and respect minorities’ rights while also working to strengthen common cultural and civilizational denominators among peoples.”

Al-Fayez also addressed the impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinians, criticizing what he described as Western hypocrisy in dealing with human rights violations.

He added: “The Palestinian people have endured nearly eight decades of suffering under Israeli occupation, and since Oct. 7, 2023, they have been the target of the most horrific acts of aggression by the Israeli occupation state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, primarily women and children, have died as a result of this aggression.”

Additionally, Al-Fayez voiced concerns over the role of social media in amplifying disinformation, hate speech, and extremism. He warned that while these platforms were initially intended to promote public freedoms, they have instead exacerbated societal divisions, leading to political instability in various countries.

He said: “Social media, which is meant to support freedom of expression, freedom of publication, and public freedoms, has regrettably added to the problems that democracy faces. It has encouraged hate speech, bigotry, violence, religious and ethnic strife, and the use of disinformation campaigns to rig elections and their results.”

He highlighted growing discontent with democratic institutions due to economic and technological disparities between the Global North and South, as well as widening social and economic inequalities.

He added: “All of these factors have put democracy and its future through a difficult test.”

LONDON: Qatar facilitated on Thursday the release of a US citizen in Afghanistan who had been in detention since December 2022.

George Glezmann is the third US citizen to be released by the Taliban government since January. The Taliban’s intelligence agency detained Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, in December 2022.

He arrived in Doha on Thursday and will depart for his home country later, the Qatar News Agency reported. A date was not specified.

The Taliban government’s release of the detainee was a “gesture of goodwill,” reflecting its willingness to engage in dialogue with the international community, the QNA added.

The Taliban have been in control of Afghanistan since the summer of 2021, following the withdrawal of US and Western troops from the Central Asian country.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said that cooperation with the mediation process involving the US and the “Afghan caretaker government” had led to the release of Glezmann.

He added that Qatar was dedicated to mediation efforts to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, disputes, and complex international issues.

Qatar has taken a leading role in mediating during some of the most contentious conflicts, including its recent efforts to help end the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip and to facilitate the release of Israeli captives held by the militant group Hamas.