Cairo August 27, 2012

ِANHRI condemns, the verdicts of the Muscat Primary Court in the hearing held yesterday on Sunday, August 26, 2012 for the trial of 13 activists on charges of assembling and violating Information Technology law and insulting the king, where it sentenced them between the prison and release on bail until the next hearing and the continued imprisonment of some activists.

Muscat primary Court in the secret hearing issued yesterday a verdict of imprisonment to “Maymona El-Badi” for a year suspended and sufficiency with twenty days and to pay a bond of (1500 RO); as well as issuance ruled release on bail of (2500 RO), for each of the “Khaled Nawfali”, “Mokhtar Al-Hinai” ,”Ishaq Aghbari”, “Sultan Al-Saadi”, “Hatem Al-Maliki” except “Mohammed Fazari” which was released on bail of (3000 RO), in addition to the continued imprisonment of “Ismail Almkabbala”, “Nabhan Alhanhi”, “Khalfan Alibdwaoa”, “Hasan Alriqiche”, “Ali El-Haji,” and “Mahmoud Aljamoda”, until the next hearing on September 9, 2012, due to their participation in the demonstrations in Oman during the last month of June to demand the release of the activists who were arrested without any charges but only their solidarity with the detainees.

ANHRI said that “the verdicts against the activists are part of the malicious verdicts issued by the Omani authorities over the past months against activists, in an attempt by authorities to silence the voices of the activists and opposition who are demanding democratic reforms, because of their participation in the movement and popular protests demanding reforms and freedoms”

ANHRI called the Omani authorities to immediately release the activists and drop all charges against them, while ensuring their safety and not to be legally prosecuted, especially since they have not committed any guilt but the peaceful expression of their opinion and it was better to take their views into account, rather than punish and prosecute them because of it.

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