Mohammed Alfazari

Mohammed Alfazari
Born	(1988-09-27) 27 September 1988 Sohar - Oman
Occupation	Writer, journalist, Editor in chief
Language	Arabic
Nationality	Omani
Website
www.mkalfazari.blogspot.co.uk

Mohammed Alfazari (Arabic: lمحمد الفزاري‎; born 27 September 1988) is an Omani writer, journalist, and political activist. He is the founder of Muwatin Media Network. Currently, Alfazari is the editor in chief of Mowatin Magazine.^[1][2] and the director of Muwatin Centre For Press Freedom. On 17 July 2015 Alfazari left Oman seeking for political asylum in the UK after a travel ban was issued against him without providing any reasons and his official documents including his national ID and passport were confiscated more than 8 months. In 2013, Alfazari published a novel called "Khattab". In 2016, he prepared and edited a political book called “Oman.. present challenges and future results”. Recently in 2018, Alfazari published his second novel called "Uncertainty".^[3][4][5]

Political activism

Mohammad Alfazari is an Omani who has suffered reprisals for speaking his mind on the government and demanding civil and political freedom. A participant in the 2011 Arab Spring protests, Alfarazi protested for democracy, a real parliament with legislative powers, a new contractual constitution, transparency and separation of powers. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Alfarazi faced numerous arbitrary arrests and interrogations, including charges of "insulting the sultan" and engaging in an "illegal gathering".

In 2013, Alfarazi founded Al-Mowaten, an independent news magazine concerning Omani society - after which he says his life became exceedingly difficult. In August 2014, he was arrested "for reasons that concern him personally" after calling upon Omanis to talk to the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Assembly, Mr Kiai, during his visit to Oman. The magazine published the number of articles on corruption in government departments, including the Public Prosecution Office. It is believed that these articles may have been the motivation for the arrests and harassments.

After urgent appeals by human rights organisations including Al-Karama, he was released days before Kiai’s visit and put under strict surveillance. Months later when al-Fazari tried to travel from the airport, his identity documents were confiscated and he was prevented from travelling overseas.^[5]

Political arrests

On 11 June 2012, in front of General Command of Police, Mohammed was arrested. He did not get a lawyer during the arrest. The time between the arrest and the sentence of the first instance, were he in jail 2 months.

Oman’s Internal Security service held him incommunicado in solitary confinement in a cell with a bright light that was never turned off, with handcuffs and black cover, and subjected him to extensive interrogations for 28 days. Then transferred him to a facility near Sama’il Central Prison, where he spent another 23 days in solitary confinement also. Then he was transferred to a police station with theft and drug prisoners and he spent 8 days, then he transferred again to the facility near Sama’il Central Prison and he spent 18 days. On 8 August 2012, The Court of First Instance in Muscat sentenced Mohammed with 10 other human rights defenders, to one year and a half in prison and a fine of 200 Rials (US$520) and a financial guarantee of 3000 Rials (US$7800). The charges were illegal assembly, disturbing public order, violating the cyber-crime law; insult the Sultan, and reducing the prestige of the country.

On 17 March 2013, the Court of Appeal in Muscat ordered his release.

On 30 August 2014, Alfazari was summoned by the General Directorate of Inquiries and criminal investigations of the Oman Police in Muscat. He was detained incommunicado at the Special Division of the Oman Police in Muscat. He did not get a lawyer. The security officials held him in solitary confinement. On 4 September 2014, Mohammed was released without any charges but threatened to prosecute him if he continued his criticism of government policies. On 22 December 2014, Mohammed Alfazari was stopped at Muscat International airport by security authorities who informed him that a travel ban had been issued against him. He was told that he must appear immediately before the Special Division of the Omani Police in the capital Muscat for an investigation, and when he complied, he was arrested at 12 PM on the same day, until 8 PM before he was released without his official documents (his passport and ID card). No charges were brought against him.

The travel ban was ordered without any warning, as well as the arrest, which took place without a reason being given or any specific charges laid against him. He was on his way to the United Kingdom when authorities informed him about the travel ban.

More than 7 months Alfazari banned from travelling and his passport and ID card is reserved for internal security. Although the Omani legal stipulates clearly that a travel ban and confiscating personal documents is only permissible if the citizen pending issue, and this is what has been denied in Fazari Twitter account more than once. He also said that he tried to raise an issue of grievance on the intelligence service by the public prosecutor, but the public prosecutor refused to receive the case.^[4]

Political asylum

On 15 July 2015, Alfazari managed to escape Oman without his papers and is currently living as a political refugee in Britain.^[5]

Muwatin Magazine

Due to arrests and interrogation of other Muwaten contributing journalists living in Oman, on 14 January 2016, the magazine was forced to cease publishing.^[5]

On 5 May 2017 Gulf centre for human rights published a report about Muwatin Magazine: "Authorities in Oman continue their systematic campaign to confiscate public freedoms in the country, including freedom of the press. The latest of their arbitrary procedures is the blocking of the website of the online magazine “Muwaten” (“Citizen”).

Reports received by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) confirmed that on the morning of 3 May 2017, which is World Press Freedom Day, the Internal Security Service (ISS) ordered the competent authorities to completely block the website of “Muwaten” throughout the country.

“Muwaten” Magazine is an independent electronic journal founded on 6 June 2013, and according to its website, it “monitors the events of the community and takes care of citizens' issues in Oman and the Persian Gulf.” One of its objectives is to try to create an environment for a free press and to discuss the issues that are concealed in the press owned by the authorities. It is currently published from the United Kingdom.

On 14 January 2016, “Muwaten” published a statement in which it announced that it would stop publishing until further notice because of what it described as “circumstances beyond its control, the most important being the safety of writers and journalists of “Muwaten”.

The editorial board recently decided to re-launch the magazine on World Press Freedom Day in order to mark the date, however, it was immediately blocked by the authorities. The new issue includes various topics, some of which are focused on press freedom, and a comparative study between the propaganda press on one hand and the independent and free press on the other in Oman.

GCHR condemns the ongoing systematic campaign of the ISS, apparently under direct guidance from the higher authorities, to crack down on public rights and freedoms including freedom of the press and the elimination of space available for human rights defenders in addition to Internet activists in the country." ^[6]

Harassment against his Family

Amnesty International calls on the government of Oman to end its harassment of the family of journalist and human rights activist, Mohammed al-Fazari, and to ensure that it upholds its obligations under international human rights conventions relating to women and children.

In a letter to the Minister of Legal Affairs dated 6 February 2017 seeking clarification regarding the government’s conduct, Amnesty International expressed concern over the temporary detention, on 30 January 2017, of Badriya al-Ma’mari and her two children at the al-Wajajah border crossing, al-Buraymi Governorate, from where Omani authorities prevented them from entering the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In its letter, the organization likewise expressed concern that the government’s treatment of Badriya al-Ma’mari may be linked to her husband, Mohammed al-Fazari, who resides in the United Kingdom (UK), where he has been granted asylum and is, accordingly, under UK protection.

According to information received by Amnesty International, on 30 January 2017, around 20:45 local time, Omani government officials posted at the border with the UAE, north of al-Wajajah, prevented Badriya al-Ma’mari, 24, along with her two children, al-Malak, 3 and al-Mahatma, 1, from entering into the UAE, from where they intended to travel to London, United Kingdom (UK) to see her husband.

Government officials confiscated her passport and those of her two children; they questioned her for a period of around four hours, during which time they repeatedly urged her to divorce her husband, Mohammed al-Fazari. In response to her questioning as to the reasons for her arrest, officials instructed Badriya al-Ma’mari to go to the Muscat office of the Internal Security Service, known as the Qism al-Khas. She did not do so and returned to her family home in northern Oman.

Despite being a regular visitor to parts of the UAE, Omani officials also stopped and detained her on 20 November 2016, at a border crossing in al-Buraimi, adjacent to Al- ‘Ain, UAE. According to information available to Amnesty International, on that occasion, officials expressly refused to tell her why she had been stopped and simply told her that she could not enter the UAE and that if she had any questions, she would have to ask Qism al-Khas in Muscat.

Earlier, on 27 December 2016, following a visit to the UAE, Omani officials detained her and a friend upon re-entry into Oman, at the Malaha entry point, adjacent to Kalba, Sharjah. Once again, in response to questions for the reason of the arrest, officials told her again to refer to Qism al-Khas.

In its letter to the Minister of Legal Affairs, a copy of which was subsequently emailed to the Omani embassy in London, Amnesty International expressed its concern that by repeatedly urging Badriya al-Ma’mari to divorce her husband and by impeding her freedom of movement, including with her children, and notably by preventing the children to travel to be with their father, the government of Oman abrogated its obligations as a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

In respect to Oman’s obligations under CEDAW, Oman may have undermined Article 9.1 of the Covenant, by pressuring Badriya al-Ma’mari to make a decision regarding her marital status. (1)

The government appears to have likewise abrogated Article 16.1.b, which states that the government shall “take all appropriate measures to [...] to [enable women to] choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent”.

In addition, by preventing Badriya al-Ma’mari to travel to the UAE on 30 January 2017, Amnesty International is concerned that the Omani authorities may have violated Article 15.4 of the CEDAW, which provides that “men and women [have] the same rights with regard to the law relating to the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their residence and domicile”. By detaining Badriya al-Ma’mari and her children, and preventing the children from travelling to be with their father, the government violated Article 3.1 of the CRC by not ensuring that “the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration”. The government also may have violated Article 9.1 and 10.1 and 10.2 by causing an additional separation from the father of the two children against the will of the parents and the best interests of the children, without any reason having been provided. (2)

In light of its concern that the conduct of the government of Oman is related to the peaceful activities of an individual under UK protection, Amnesty International has shared the contents of its letter to the Minister with the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Background Mohammed al-Fazari is a human rights activist, blogger and journalist. In 2013 he founded the newspaper Muwatan, which he closed down in January 2016, following the detention of two of its staff members. Between 2011 and 2013 he faced repeated arrest and interrogation, solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights. Omani officials confiscated his passport and civil identification card at Muscat airport on 22 December 2014, when he tried to leave the country. In July 2016, he left Oman and is now a refugee in the UK.

1. Article 9.1 of CEDAW states that “States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband.”
2. Article 10 states: (1) In accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, applications by a child or his or her parents to enter or leave a State Party for the purpose of family reunification shall be dealt with by States Parties in a positive, humane and expeditious manner. States Parties shall further ensure that the submission of such a request shall entail no adverse consequences for the applicants and for the members of their family. (2) A child whose parents reside in different States shall have the right to maintain on a regular basis, save in exceptional circumstances personal relations and direct contacts with both parents. Towards that end and in accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, States Parties shall respect the right of the child and his or her parents to leave any country, including their own, and to enter their own country. The right to leave any country shall be subject only to such restrictions as are prescribed by law and which are necessary to protect the national security, public order (order public), public health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others and are consistent with the other rights recognized in the present convention.^[7]

References

External links

• Official website