OMAN

Five possible prisoners of conscience were released after approximately eight months in detention, during which they were allegedly tortured or ill-treated. At least six people were executed and another was reportedly sentenced to death.

Five possible prisoners of conscience were released in April or May. They had been arrested in September 1997 as suspected Shi‘a activists (see Amnesty International Report 1998). No information was available about the conditions of their release. However, they were reportedly placed under surveillance and their passports were confiscated. They had allegedly been tortured or ill-treated, including by beatings and threats of sexual assault.

At least six people, all foreign nationals, were executed for murder reportedly after unfair trials. They included four Pakistan nationals who were executed two days after they were sentenced to death in January and were reportedly denied any appeal. One person, an Indian national, was reportedly sentenced to death for murder.

Amnesty International expressed concern about the executions and appealed for commutation of outstanding death sentences. The Ambassador of Oman in London, United Kingdom, wrote to Amnesty International stating that, "Omani justice guarantees fair trial… as to the organization's [opposition to] the death penalty, [this] concerns Amnesty International alone and is not obligatory for others." He did not provide further details on the cases raised or on the trials of those executed.

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