Mukhtar Al Hinai is a well-known journalist and human rights fighter who was a key campaigner in Oman’s 2011 public demonstrations. He is presently subject to a travel ban and legal harassment by Omani authorities in retaliation for disclosing information about a corruption case involving Omani government officials.
On March 9, 2022, Al Hinai posted on his Twitter account that members of the administration had been convicted of embezzlement and forgery by a Muscat court. “The Muscat Court has delivered a judgement convicting 8 defendants of a felony of embezzlement and forgery… that occurred in one of the ministries,” says his primary tweet, which has since been removed. In his tweets, Al Hinai also stated that the Omani Ministry of Information had prevented the Omani press from covering this matter.
Shortly after, on March 15, he was called to Muscat by the Public Prosecution Department to be grilled about his tweets on the subject. He was accused under article 249 of the Omani Penal Code, which makes it a crime to reveal information about cases when the court has barred the release of information. A travel restriction was also imposed on him until 2099, and he was ordered to remove the tweets. His trial is presently set to begin on June 19, 2022. He risks a month to two years in prison, as well as a fine.
In this regard, it has been stated that the trial he tweeted about was open to the public, and that article 249 only prohibited disclosures about ongoing trials, not completed ones, as was the case with Al Hinai’s posting.
As a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Oman is obligated to encourage the active participation of individuals and groups outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizations, in the prevention and fight against corruption, as well as to raise public awareness about the issue. This entails “improving openness and encouraging public participation in decision-making processes,” as well as “ensuring that the public has effective access to information.”
The charges and travel restriction imposed on Al Hinai for speaking out against corruption violate this obligation.
Prior to these events, Al Hinai had already been arrested and questioned by authorities on many times, after his participation in the country’s 2011 huge protests.
We call on the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression to intervene with the Omani authorities to request that the charges and travel ban against Al Hinai be dropped, as they are a form of retaliation for exercising his right to free expression. We also argue the Omani government to release all political activists, human rights defenders and oppositions leaders from prison.
