AMMAN, Jordan — Few Jordanian leaders came to power with greater support from Amman’s civil society than Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in June. He served on the board of the respected Amman-based Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists. Razzaz had called for a new social contract to advance government accountability and ensure “the rights of the electoral minority and of those with opposing views are safeguarded and not excluded or branded as treason.”

A popular education minister, Razzaz was applauded for combatting corporal punishment in schools despite the trend among some Jordanians to avoid discussing this sensitive issue. Therefore, Raed Wahbeh, chairman of Taqaddam, a progressive Jordanian platform advocating political change, told Al-Monitor that Razzaz’s appointment last summer was a “dream come true.”

But some six months following Razzaz’s selection, many activists are questioning whether his premiership will bring a tangible change for free speech and human rights in the Hashemite Kingdom. While civil liberties in Jordan under Razzaz are far better than neighboring Saudi Arabia and Egypt, activists continue facing intimidation by government officials.

Jordanian security forces shot tear gas and forcibly dispersed protesters in Dhiban, approximately 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Amman, following Friday prayers on Nov. 23. The demonstrators were calling for the release of local political activists who had been arrested in a recent government clampdown.