The Annual Report of Human Rights in Oman – 2019

1 January:
The Omani police seized the equipment of a reporting team from private radio station Hala FM while they were covering a sit-in staged by unemployed people in the capital, Muscat. The journalists themselves were taken away to a police station before being released later that day.
2 February:
Multinational firm Larsen & Toubro Electrical & Automation announced that it would be making 430 Omani workers redundant from April. Several other companies have fired both Omani and non-Omani workers during the course of the year, although there have been a few successful efforts to reinstate workers or help create new jobs. Sackings of workers continue, however, in the absence of the necessary legal protections such as financial safeguards or deterrent measures from the government.
10 February:
the administration at Oman’s Samail Central Prison has refused to allow in prescribed medication for some inmates, insisting they can have only specific types of the drugs….:
17 February:
The Omani Intelligence (ISS) summoned and detained on Sunday, 17th February 2019, Musaab Al-Thuhli, to interrogate him about his tweets which he criticised some of the government officials and the relationship between Oman and Israel. Mussaab was released later on 21st February.
18 February:
The Omani Intelligence (ISS) summoned and detained on Monday, 18th February 2019, Haitham Al-Mushaikhi, to interrogate him about some of his posts in Facebook where he criticised unemployment and the relationship between Oman and Israel. Haitham was released later on 3rd March.
2 March:
The Muscat International Book Fair has once again seen numerous books banned and impounded, a total of 30 books:
13 April:
Nigerian girl asking for help to leave #Muscat, #Oman, and go back to her country. The girl is working as a housemaid.
30 May:
The OCHR-Oman condemned the arrest of two citizens who were exercising their rights in not fasting Ramadan. OCHR-Oman demands the authorities to release them immediately and to delete the article 277 of the Penal Code which constitutes a violation of the individual liberties
4 June:
Security authorities in the administration of Samail Central Prison prevent the prisoners of Musandam case (shuhuh6) from greeting their relatives by phone on Eid alFitr day without giving reasons and in flagrant violation of humanitarian and religious principles internationally
5 August:
Al-Masarra Hospital and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital – have colluded with the Internal Security Service (ISS) in the arrests of several activists and in keeping them locked up in hospital on the pretext of their suffering from mental illnesses.
14 August:
OCHR-Oman condemned the arrests in Dhofar, southern Oman, arising from protests over the date set by the government for Eid al-Adha and Eid prayers.
14 November:
The OCHR-Oman condemned the arrest on November 14, 2019, of Omani writer Musallam Masoud al-Mashani in connection with his new book, as yet unpublished. Al-Mashani was released later on 25th of November.
16 December:
Former prisoner of conscience Mukhtar al-Hanai, a journalist working for online newspaper Atheer, was summoned for questioning and detained by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This was because of a report the paper published about the State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution referring violations within a government initiative called “Tanfidh” to the Public Prosector’s Office. Al-Hanai was released on 18 December.
17 December:
Online newspaper Atheer’s editor-in-chief Moosa al-Farai was summoned for questioning and detained over a report the paper published concerning violations within a government initiative. He was released the following day, 18 December.
Activities
Meeting with the French Human Rights Ambassador to complain against the participation of the Omani Information Ministry in Paris Fair Book 2019 as a Guest of Honor.