Prominent human rights lawyer Awad Bin Ali Al-Sawafi faces ongoing judicial harassment in Oman that violates his civil rights solely due to his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities.

On 30 June 2025, the Court of Appeal in Muscat upheld the initial ruling, and rejected Al-Sawafi’s appeal against the decision to dismiss him from his position as a legal affairs researcher at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, on security grounds.

The court held three hearings before issuing its ruling. The first hearing was held on 10 February 2025, during which the defense attorney presented new compelling evidence supporting the invalidity of the decision. The second hearing was held on 03 March 2025, to hear the ministry’s response, which failed to provide any logical evidence to justify its decision to dismiss him. The third hearing was held on 21 April 2025, during which Al-Sawafi asked the presiding judge, Judge Ahmed Mohamed Al-Hafnawi, to allow him to present his testimony in person. When Al-Sawafi began speaking, he was immediately interrupted by Al-Hafnawi, without justification and in an inappropriate manner.

Directly after the third hearing, Al-Sawafi submitted his written plea to the Court of Appeal’s secretariat for inclusion in the case file.

Al-Sawafi, aged 48, is a well-known human rights activist. He graduated from Al-Buraimi University in law in 2019, and worked as a legal affairs researcher at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. He has been continuously targeted by the Internal Security Service (ISS) for his independent human rights work.

On 13 May 2024, Al-Sawafi filed a grievance request with the Administrative Court, requesting to return to his previous job as a legal researcher, which he held for more than three years and in which he had a high record of efficiency and experience and the appreciation and recognition of his employer for his achievements.

On 30 June 2024, the Administrative Court in Sohar held a session headed by Judge Essam El-Din Abda Abdewahhab, who decided to dismiss the lawsuit he filed. The text of the ruling, a copy of which was reviewed by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), stated the following regarding the reasons for rejecting his request: “The contested decision was taken based on security reasons, and therefore the administration’s reliance on those security reasons is a justification for rejecting the plaintiff’s request in the present case.”

This verdict clearly and explicitly reflects the encroachment of the Internal Security Service and its absolute control over the judiciary, which should be independent and capable of providing justice to all citizens and protecting their civil and human rights.

It’s worth noting that the case file was closed from the start of the pleadings before the Administrative Court, and neither Al-Sawafi nor his lawyer were able to review it until after the third hearing before the Court of Appeal. What is suspicious is the presence of two letters within the case file sent by the Secretary-General of the Cabinet of Ministers, which reflect blatant government interference in the judiciary’s capabilities.

Al-Sawafi was also barred from running for membership in the Municipal Council in 2012, and in 2023, he was barred from running for membership in the Shura Council, for security reasons according to what he was told by authorities.

For more information about his case, read here.

“The Court of Appeal issued a politicised decision that does not address the harm I suffered and allows the continued violation of my civil rights,” Al-Sawafi, said in a press statement to GCHR.

GCHR expresses its full solidarity with prominent human rights defender Awad bin Ali Al-Sawafi, and denounces the ongoing targeting of him since 2011. GCHR calls on the authorities in Oman, including the Internal Security Service, to cease targeting him and end the violation of his right to live with dignity in his homeland.

At the same time, GCHR condemns the unfair ruling issued by the Court of Appeal, which upheld the initial ruling dismissing the appeal filed by Al-Sawafi in a trial that lacked the minimum international standards of fairness and lacked due process.

GCHR also calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, to urgently intervene in his case, to ensure that he receives justice, and that the authorities do not harass him in the future.