Muscat: Activists claim one casualty due to police action to disperse protesters on Friday afternoon in the industrial port city of Sohar, 230 km north of Muscat.
"One person died on the spot and six others are badly injured," Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Jabri, who has been actively taking part in the peaceful sit-ins at the Shura office in Muscat, told Gulf News.
He said that the deceased Khalifa Al Alawi died due to bullet injuries.
"There are two more critical at the Sohar hospital among six injured taken to the hospital," he added.
There was neither any official version on the police action not on injuries or casualties.
Al Jabri said that the activists in Muscat, Salalah and Sur were coordinating at the moment on the future course of action. However, he strongly condemned the use of force, including firing, use of water cannons and tear gas on protesters in Sohar.
"We are not supporting any kind of violence but also condemn actions that would harm the citizens," he said, adding that peaceful sit-ins would continue at the Shura office as well as in Salalah and Sur.
He said that they were waiting for the outcome of a meeting between government envoy Shaikh Mohammad Bin Abdullah Bin Zaher Al Hinai, Minister of Justice, and the activists staging sit-in outside the Governor's office in Salalah. The meeting was going on at 7pm.
