Oman convicts citizen of incitement over WhatsApp messages

Cairo: An Omani court has convicted a citizen of posting WhatsApp messages deemed inflammatory, according to a media report.

The First Instance Court in Oman’s governorate of Asharqiya South convicted the man of sending messages that could disrupt public order.

The court sentenced the convict to one year in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of OMR1,000 as well as confiscating the gadget used in committing the offence, online newspaper Al Shabiba reported. The court ordered the convict serve one month of the jail term.

Investigations showed that the defendant had deliberately sought in his WhatsApp posts to incite public opinion, mock state institutions and underestimate their decisions, the report said.