Hilal Al Bu Saidi, Eisa Al Masoudi, Bassam Abu Qasida, Rashid Al Badi, Mohammad Al Kiyumi, Abdullah Al Abdullah, Ahmad Al Maamari and Awad Sawafi were given year-long prison terms with a 1,000 riyals fine. However, all eight were released on bail pending appeal.
However, Ameenah Al Sa’adi, who teaches at a school in Suwaiq town in northern Oman, was acquitted of all charges. She was released on bail on July 25 after spending 43 days in detention for allegedly defaming the country’s leader.
Her brother — Sultan Al Sa’adi — is also detained on similar charges. Sultan is still in detention but last week was moved from alleged ‘solitary confinement’ to the maximum security central prison in Sumayil to Muttrah Police Station detention area on court orders.
Sultan’s sister Fatma Al Sa’adi claims that police stations lack the minimum standards for prison.
“Sultan has been kept with incarcerate drug dealers and murderers,” she alleged in a message to Gulf News.
She also pointed out that the prison was overcrowded when she visited her brother. “Six prisoners were detained in a small room. The prisoners could not find a place to sleep. Additionally there is no clear regulation to govern such prisons,” she said.
She also alleged that she was not allowed to converse in English with her brother by the guards.
“There were three guards all the time and we had no privacy,” she said.
Fatma said that she has urged the National Human Rights Commission to visit the police station to see conditions for themselves.
Meanwhile, the Muscat Primary Court also deferred the hearing of two detainees to allow them to bring forth witnesses. One of the two detainees, Maimuna Al Badi is already out on bail while Osama Al Thuwaiya is still behind bars and will have to wait for the next hearing on Wednesday.
With Monday’s verdict, the primary court has sentenced 18 bloggers so far for allegedly defaming the Sultan and committing cybercrime.
Following protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Oman also witnessed peaceful demonstrations last year, starting with a Green March on January 17. The largely peaceful demonstrations were mainly confined to Sohar, Muscat, Salalah, Sur, Ibri and some other places.
However, at the end of February last year, the protests in Sohar turned violent and saw about six people killed in police action. The protesters were mainly demanding more jobs, better pay and working conditions and the removal of some alleged corrupt officials.
The country’s leader took prompt action by creating 50,000 jobs, instituting unemployment allowance and replacing ministers targeted by protesters with those elected in Shura. The Sultan also granted more powers to the 84-member elected Shura council.
The protests then died down, except for sporadic slogan shouting by private sector employees for better wages and working conditions.
Last May, Omani employees of contractors working for oil companies in the country went on strike, some protests and subsequent arrests of activists followed.
