Sohar protesters given five-year jail term

Muscat: The Misdemeanour Court of First Instance in Muscat handed out the harshest punishment so far for activists, who staged sit-ins, demonstration and protested in Oman, by handing out a maximum of five-year imprisonment to seven activists from Sohar today.

"We are really disappointed with the severe prison term handed out to seven activists from Sohar compared to sentences given to protesters from Jalan Bani Bu and Ibri," Ismail Al Mukhbali, an activist from Sohar, told Gulf News.

Al Mukhbali, who attended the court proceedings, said that only one case is pending in which a group of people are charged with possessing explosives and attempting to use them to cause trouble in Sohar.

"The accused in explosive case are very young and are not on bail, so when their case was deferred, their relatives and defendants made a lot of noise with disappointment," he said, adding that the accused were hoping to get their freedom on Tuesday.

Hilal Al Alawi, Khamis Al Ajmi, Majid Ma'amari, Khaled Sheedi, Hilal Shezawi, Salem Ma'amari and Khalid Al Balushi have been given five-year jail term for shutting down work at a government organisation.

Khaled Al Hamboli; Ali Badi; Ali Al Ghaithi have been sent to prison for six months, while Amaar Al Hinai has been given four-month jail term for blocking roads and humiliating on duty civil servants.

Hilal Alawi; Haitham Ghaithi, Abdullah Al Badi, Abdul Aziz Al Qassimi, Khalfan Al Mukhbali were sentenced to three months in jail on the same charges.

All the nine were also fined 100 Omani riyals each and were given right to appeal against the court's verdict.

Eighteen other accused were acquitted of the charges of participating in protests and disturbing public lice. They are: Noah Saadi, Bermaa Saadi, Hasan Baluchi, Taleb Ma'amari, Dr Abdul Ghaffar Shezawi, Ahmed Shezawi, Yousuf Shaheen, Ali Al Mukhabli, Yaqoub Kharussi, Ahmed Al Shehi, Ahmed Al Balushi, Mohammed Sabih, Idris Ma'amari, Khaled Nawfali Majid Mammari, Khaled Sheedi and Abdullah Al Hamboli.

Rida Khoury, Murad Al Balushi and Gharib Hindasi were also acquitted of the criminal charges of disrupting work at a government organisation.