New York, September 26, 2016 - An Omani court today sentenced three journalists from the independent newspaper Azamn to prison and ordered the newspaper closed after it published allegations of judicial corruption, according to human rights groups and news reports.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders today sent a letter to Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, to draw his attention to the prosecution of three journalists from the independent daily newspaper, Azamn.
Omani authorities arrested a third journalist from the independent newspaper Azamn on August 9, 2016, and ordered the paper to cease publishing, according to human rights groups and local news reports.
New York, August 5, 2016--Omani authorities this week arrested a second journalist from the Azamn newspaper. Zaher al-Abri, an editor, was detained without formal explanation in Muscat on August 3, according to his colleague and a local human rights group. He was arrested the day after speaking with CPJ about the case of Ibrahim al-Maamari, the paper's editor-in-chief who has been in custody since July 28.
New York, August 2, 2016 - An Omani journalist has been jailed for nearly a week under investigation of multiple charges after the daily newspaper Azamn published an article questioning the independence of the judiciary, according to his outlet and human rights groups.
New York, March 26, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the welfare of Omani blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi, who was detained while attempting to enter the United Arab Emirates by car from Oman. Alrawahi, who has criticized Omani authorities on his blog and YouTube channel, has long been persecuted for his work, according to news reports and local and international human rights groups.
Impact | Iran, Oman, Syria, USA
US-Africa Leaders Summit
President Barack Obama hosted the first US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington D.C. this month. The discussion focused on trade and investment, but CPJ helped put press freedom on the agenda. At a time of unprecedented growth and change in Africa, journalists are under increasing pressure, with spikes in repression from Ethiopia to Nigeria.
New York, August 5, 2014--CPJ is concerned for the welfare of critical Omani blogger Muawiyah Alrawahi, who disappeared last month after being summoned by intelligence officials, according to human rights groups. A photo appeared on Twitter in recent days showing Alrawahi at the psychiatric department of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, with his legs shackled, according to the London-based Monitor of Human Rights in Oman.
Alrawahi is known for using his blog and YouTube channel to discuss atheism and raise other sensitive topics, including criticism of Sultan Qaboos.
Your Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to bring to your attention reports of an unfair trial of two Omani journalists and a civil servant sentenced to imprisonment on defamation charges. We ask you, in your capacity as head of the Supreme Judicial Council, to instruct the judicial authorities to respect the letter of the law and allow the defendants an opportunity to prove their innocence. This case will be appealed on October 15, and we hope the verdict against the newspaper and the three men will be reversed. We are also alarmed by the October 9 royal decree that amends an article in the Press and Publications Law, further tightening government control over the media, and urge you to consider the negative effect the amendment will have on independent media in Oman.
New York, August 25, 2011--Charges against prominent Omani journalist and filmmaker Youssef al-Haj should be dropped immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Al-Haj's trial over an article he wrote that allegedly accused the Ministry of Justice of corruption began on August 14 but was postponed until this Sunday. At the August 14 hearing, the judge ordered that the newspaper that published al-Haj's story, Al-Zaman, not print any details of the case, local human rights activists told CPJ.
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