Dubai: A former Omani diplomat has been sentenced to three years in prison on three charges of lese majeste, blasphemy and disturbance of religious values and public order.
The Primary Court of Sohar last Monday sentenced Hassan Al Basham to three years for the first charge, three years for the second and one year for the third, according to Al Balad news site. After appeal, his total sentence was reduced to three years. The court also fined Al Basham 500 riyals (Dh4,770).
Al Basham told Al Balad news site that he was shocked by the court ruling.
The accused was arrested last September in Sohar province for his writings on social media platforms, which led to his detention. His family has demanded his release.
He is a former senior official in the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a participant in the protest wave in Sohar province in 2011.
Al Basham was arrested in 2011 over the closing of the Sohar roundabout, but later the court acquitted him.
He also arrested in 2013 for celebrating after one of the Sohar protesters was released from the central Samayil prison in 2013. Al Basham was released after three days of the detention.
In 2013, Sultan Qaboos pardoned dozens of activists jailed on lese majeste charges, violating the cyber law and wrongful gatherings.
The sultan also ordered to reinstate all the detainees to their jobs in the public and private sectors.
They were detained in 2013 over the above mentioned charges.
