Custody for Salalah Protesters Extended

Eight activists arrested in Salalah in May granted 15-day custody to complete probe on unauthorised gathering
By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief (Gulf News)
Published: 13:14 June 22, 2011
;Muscat: The Appeals Court in Muscat on Tuesday granted additional 15-day custody for eight activists, who were arrested from Salalah on May 12. The prosecution had asked for an extension of the custody of the eight protesters as they wanted to complete investigations in the case of rioting and unlawful gathering near Governor's Office in Salalah in the south of Oman.
'The security agencies had broken up 77-day peaceful long sit-in outside Governor's Office in Salalah on last May 12 and arrested an unspecified number of activists from the sit-in camp. Now only eight protesters from Salalah remain in police custody and prosecution sought and got extension of their custody for two weeks. The eight are, Mussalam Saeed, Salem Mashani, Saeed Al Maahri, Mohamed Amiri, Ali Maahri, Shaikh Nasser Al Shakroon, Ahmed Tabuk and Shaikh Amer Hardan.
;"Each activist was called individually by the judge and was given time to explain why prosecution should be denied request for additional 15-day custody," Ismail Al Muqbali, an activist from Sohar, who attended the trial, told Gulf News. Ismail said that as solidarity with the Salalah activists, he along with the other Sohar protesters Ammar Hinai and Ismail Al Muqbali, attended the hearing. The lawyers for the eight detainees also argued against the prosecution demand and asked for bail for their clients. However, after two days in court, the judge granted an additional 15 days, maximum possible under law, detention for the all eight. Al Muqbali, who was also arrested twice and released, said that they hope the remaining detainees from Salalah would be released soon.