Saed Al-Darodi is an Omani writer, poet, cartoonist, and online activist and the  founder of the “Dhofar Cynical Art Group.” He has published several books and is known for his critical online presence. His books and activism have made him a target of the Omani Internal Security Service, which has repeatedly subjected him to arrest, incommunicado detention, and judicial harassment. On 7 October 2014, Al-Darodi posted on his Facebook page a post entitled “I’m not Omani… I’m Dhofari” in which he declared pride in his Dhofari identity. This post is widely believed to have triggered his arrest. On 10 October 2014, he was summoned to the Special Division of the Omani Police in Salalah, where he was detained incommunicado without access to his lawyer or family until 5 November 2014. On 18 March 2015, the Court of First Instance in Salalah sentenced him in absentia to one year in prison on charges of “disturbing public order,” and to an additional six months in prison and a fine of 1,000 Omani Rials (around 2,600 dollars) on charges of “spreading sedition and hatred.” Despite these sentences, he remained free at the time but under constant threat of arrest. On 15 February 2016, the Court of Appeal in Salalah issued a new verdict, sentencing Al-Darodi to three months in prison in connection with the same Facebook post. Reports indicated that he did not attend the hearing, and although still at liberty, he faced imminent risk of arrest to serve his sentence.