Credible reports received by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) confirm that human rights defender Talib Al-Saedi has been sentenced to prison solely for peacefully expressing his personal opinions about the tragedy in Al-Amarat district, which resulted in the deaths of six members of one family.

On 31 December 2025, the Sohar Court of First Instance sentenced Al-Saedi to three months in prison, a fine of 1,000 Omani Rials (of which he is required to pay only 200 rials), and the confiscation of his mobile phone. He was convicted of the misdemeanour of using the Internet to publish material that could harm public order, based on Article 19 of the Cybercrime Law.

The court decided to consider the time he had already spent in pretrial detention sufficient, according to the verdict, a copy of which was obtained by GCHR.

He was targeted for posting the following comment on his X account on 20 November 2025: “Truly tragic…the nation is grieving while the authorities celebrate,” using the hashtag #Younis_Family_Tragedy.

For more information on his case, see here.

His conviction, orchestrated by the Internal Security Service (ISS), will have a negative impact on his daily life and that of his family, which explains why he is being targeted by the judiciary.

Once again, GCHR strongly condemns the systematic pattern of repression that the ISS and its executive arm, the Special Division, have persistently pursued for many years. This includes their ongoing targeting of human rights defenders and online activists, as well as their suppression of public freedoms, including freedom of expression both online and offline.

Recommendations

GCHR urges the authorities in Oman to:

1. Overturn the prison sentence against human rights defender Talib Al-Saedi immediately and unconditionally, in addition to ending the targeting of him;

2. Protect the public freedoms of citizens, particularly freedom of expression online and offline, and end the harassment of human rights defenders in Oman; and

3. Guarantee, under all circumstances, the ability of human rights defenders in Oman to carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of reprisal and without undue restrictions, including judicial harassment.