Jordan forcibly evicting Bedul Bedouins in Petra, says Human Rights Watch
The Bedul are the oldest known inhabitants of the land surrounding the archaeological site, which has become a global tourist hotspot attracting upwards of a million visitors.
Interview footage and court documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch reveal a number of measures taken by the Jordanian government aimed at evicting the Bedul that Human Rights Watch describes as 'coercive'.
These policies includes the suspension of water services, as well as social security payments and salaries for Bedul residents employed by the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA).
Other Bedul residents have experienced arbitrary detention without charge, with release contingent upon their consenting to eviction.
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'Jordan's displacement of the Bedul from their historic homes in Petra puts their culture at risk,' said Adam Coogle, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch.
'The Jordanian government should halt the relocations and respect the rights of Petra's Bedouin community.'
Petra's semi-nomadic Bedul community, who live in caves and tents in the Stooh al-Nabi Harun Mountain, first faced a government-led eviction campaign when Petra was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1985.
Jordan: Petra flash floods trigger evacuation of 1,700 people Read More »
However, approximately 50 Bedul families refused to participate in the resettlement process, remaining at the site until the present day.
Fares al-Braizat, chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA), described the eviction process as part of a campaign 'to enhance the rule of law' and eliminate 'sources of threat' to tourists.
Coogle, on the other hand, said: 'Jordan can't claim to protect Petra's living heritage while sidelining the very community that embodies it.'
'It should work, together with Unesco, to uphold the rights of the Bedul and ensure their full participation in the shaping of the future of the site they've called home for generations,' he added.
Bedouin tribes, whose dwellings pre-date modern nation state borders, have long suffered persecution across the region, including in the neighbouring occupied West Bank, where Palestinian Bedouins have suffered attacks from Israeli settlers.
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