Al Zaman journalist released on bail by Oman court, colleagues still in custody

Muscat: Omani journalist Zaher Al Abri, who was detained for alleging corruption in the Omani judiciary, has been released on bail, Oman’s Human Rights Commission (OHRC) reported.
His colleagues, Editor Ibrahim Al Mamari and Yusuf Al Balushi are still being kept in custody and a further court hearing has been set for August 29.
The commission attended the second session of the trial of the accused journalists from the Al Zaman newspaper.
The case had been postponed to hear the pleas of the public prosecutor and the defence counsel for the journalists, the Oman Human Rights Commission said.
The government has ordered Al Zaman to close its offices and stop publishing after it published reports alleging corruption in the Omani judiciary.
The government also found that the published material constituted a flagrant violation of the ethics of Freedom of Expression, which is an authentic value advocated by the Omani society and reaffirmed by the Basic Law of the State, according to the Oman News Agency.
Necessary powers of attorney have been accorded by all the accused in favour of Ya’aqub Al Harthy, the lawyer who has agreed to defend them.
The commission had directed the public prosecution to allow the accused to meet their lawyer before trial.
Earlier, the OHRC delegation comprising the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, a member of the Commission; the Head of Monitoring and Reporting Committee, the Secretariat General of the Commission and a legal researcher from the Monitoring and Reporting Department had met them.