On 29 August 2016, the Court of First Instance in Muscat, Oman held a third hearing in the trial of three “Azamn” journalists, Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Al-Maamari, Editorial Secretary Yousef Al-Haj and member of the editorial committee Zaher Al-Abri.

The Court has declared 19 September for a verdict against Al-Maamari and Al-Abri.

In addition, the court decided to postpone the trial of journalist Yousef Al-Haj to 05 September to hear the defense report. On 25 August 2016, Al-Haj ended his three-day hunger strike in which he protested the poor conditions of his detention at the Special Division of the Omani Police General Command in Muscat and also demanded a fair trial.

Reports received by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) confirmed the inhumane treatment that both Al-Maamari and Al-Haj are facing while in detention in the cells of the Special Division.

GCHR deplores the ill-treatment received by journalists Ibrahim Al-Maamari and Yousef Al-Haj at the hands of the employees of the Special Division Omani Police General Command in Muscat, which represents the executive arm of the Internal Security Service (ISS).

For more information about the case of the closure of “Azamn” newspaper and the targeting of its journalists, please see: https://www.gc4hr.org/news/index/country/6

GCHR urges the authorities in Oman to: 

1. Drop the charges against the three “Azamn” journalists, Ibrahim Al-Maamari, Yousef Al-Haj and Zahir Al-Abri;
2. Release Ibrahim Al-Maamari and Yousef Al-Haj, revoke the decision to close “Azamn” newspaper, and protect freedom of the press in the country; and
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders including journalists, writers and on-line activists in Oman are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.