Two men were arrested for their online activities in Oman, and only one has been freed, say the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Omani Association for Human Rights (OAHR), who call for his release and an end to arrests of those who express themselves online peacefully.

On 09 August 2022, businessman and Internet activist Hani Al-Sarhani was arrested after being summoned by the Special Division of the Omani Police Command in the capital, Muscat. The Special Division is the executive arm of the Internal Security Services (ISS).

Al-Sarhani has used his Twitter account to appeal to officials to provide support to business people and citizens alike due to what he referred to as the difficult phase that everyone is going through.

On 05 August 2022, he posted on his YouTube account a recording of him speaking in a meeting that included a number of his fellow businesspeople, and later posted it several times on Twitter as well. His speech included an appeal of distress to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and all officials on behalf of businessmen, announcing that they have reached a difficult stage amid the deterioration of the purchasing power of citizens. He also said that, “high prices broke everyone’s back” and “taxes reduced spending power.” Al-Sarhani added, “This led to consequences that we did not see in the past for everyone, including businessmen and citizens, who became unable to live a decent life.”

He also criticised the lifting of government support for public services and explained that, “the government’s efforts were not sufficient to manage the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences and recover from it.” He concluded his speech by saying, “The economy is collapsing and exhausted and we are dying.” And “I am looking for my treatment and it is in the hands of the government, and they should listen to us.”

Reliable local sources confirmed his release on 10 August 2022.

In another separate case, on 04 August 2022, prominent environmental activist Dr. Ahmed Issa Qatan was arrested by the ISS.

His Twitter account is pinned with the following tweet: “Oman urgently needs fundamental reforms… through the Shura Council choosing the government and holding it accountable… electing all local councils and taking over the management of the provinces… Removing merchants from the state administration and ending hidden trade… Putting young people in all production jobs … Reducing duties and taxes to stimulate the economy.” He placed it over the portrait of the Sultan of Oman.
Reliable local sources stated that his arrest is related to his peaceful activities on the Internet, including the above tweet.

He was previously arrested on 23 February 2021, due to his relentless efforts to preserve normal life in Dhofar Plain and not to damage its current composition or change the lifestyle in it, which extends for hundreds of years. It will allow the creation of residential complexes in these green spaces. He was released on 03 March 2021.

While GCHR and OAHR welcome the release of businessman and Internet activist Hani Al-Sarhani, they call on the Omani government to release prominent environmental activist Dr. Ahmed Qatan immediately and unconditionally.

GCHR and OAHR also call for an immediate end to the policy of silencing voices and restricting public freedoms, including freedom of peaceful demonstration and freedom of the press. The authorities in Oman must respect public freedoms, including freedom of expression and opinion, both online and offline. The security forces must carry out their duties to protect citizens, not oppress them, as they peacefully demand their civil and human rights.

On 23 February 2021, Dr. Qatan was summoned to appear before the Special Division of the Salalah Police Command, where he was arrested upon arrival. The Special Division represents the executive arm of the ISS, carrying out arrest and detention orders for activists on its behalf.
Dr. Qatan, a resident of Dhofar Governorate and a specialist in desalination of sea water, opposes an official decision to prevent the grazing of camels in parts of the Dhofar Plain, within his efforts to preserve normal life and maintain the lifestyle in the area that has existed for hundreds of years. He also rejects plans by the authorities to build residential complexes in these green spaces.

His Twitter account, which he uses to spread his views on protecting the environment, is topped by the following pinned tweet, which he posted on 13 July 2019: “Sustainable development is based on maximising national income while minimising harm to the environment and society … and in the Dhofar Governorate, which is characterised by autumn rains and a moderate climate, proper planning requires preserving the green areas and their traditional heritage and making them a regional centre for natural recreation.”

On 21 February 2021, Dr. Qatan mentioned in another tweet: “We have yet to wait for the advance of autumn. If the decision remains, we must gather the herds of camels in front of the globe and we demand that His Majesty the Sultan get rid of the camels or get rid of the inherited administration in the governor’s office which remained preoccupied by the displacement of the rural population and the acquisition of the Dhofar Plain.”

He also published, using the hashtag: #TransOwnershipOfDhofarPlain10, the following tweet on the same day, “Two options are being tried to nullify the transfer of the Dhofar Plain to housing planning… The option of complaining to the closed government doors and repeating the attempts of the failed sheikhs … The other alternative is trying to uproot the thorny roots by heading to public opinion to reveal the link between the decision and suspicions of corruption and private interests.”

The Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, Mohammed Bin Sultan Bin Hamoud Al-Busaidi, issued Ministerial Decree No. (14/2021) which included several decisions, among them “banning camel grazing in the Sahel region extending from Nashib to Raysut.” An officer in the Ministry said in a press statement that this decision comes, “within the framework of transferring the affiliation of the Sahel in the Dhofar Governorate to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.”

GCHR and the OAHR condemn the arrest of Dr. Ahmed Issa Qatan, and consider it a violation of his basic rights to freely express his views and defend the environment and its components in his governorate. The Internal Security Agency must stop the policy of silencing voices and opinions, and targeting human rights defenders, including internet activists, which it has systematically followed in recent years.

The authorities in Oman must respect public freedoms, including freedom of expression and opinion, on and off the Internet.