Oman sentences Ukrainian tourists over disturbing nesting turtles pictures
Pair fined RO100 each and handed suspended one-month jail terms over incident
Dubai: An Omani court has handed two Ukrainian tourists suspended one-month prison sentences and fined them RO100 each after they were convicted of disturbing nesting sea turtles at Ras Al Hadd Turtle Reserve and publishing footage of their actions online, the Public Prosecution said.
The criminal circuit of the Court of First Instance in Sur convicted the pair, identified as Vadim and Olena, following an investigation into their conduct at the protected reserve in South Al Sharqiyah.
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Investigators found that the tourists climbed onto the backs of large turtles, handled smaller turtles and disturbed the animals by touching and approaching them as they moved along the beach, according to the prosecution.
The pair filmed their actions and published the footage on Vadim’s Instagram account. The video, which was later deleted, drew widespread criticism on social media after appearing to show the tourists sitting on a sea turtle’s shell and mishandling hatchlings.
The court fined each defendant RO100 for disturbing nesting turtles and imposed a one-month prison sentence for producing and publishing content deemed prejudicial to public order.
The court ordered the penalties to be merged and suspended execution of the custodial sentence. It also ordered the judgment to be published.
The ruling follows an announcement by Oman’s Environment Authority on September 28 that legal proceedings had been initiated after footage showing sea turtles being disturbed at Ras Al Hadd circulated online.
The authority urged visitors not to touch, approach or disturb turtles, particularly at nesting sites.
The Public Prosecution also called on the public to comply with laws protecting wildlife and nature reserves and to use social media responsibly.
