Protesters Freed from Salalah Prison

Many arrested protesters were released from Arzat Prison in Salalah yesterday afternoon nine days after their initial arrest on Thursday (May 12). All those arrested were linked to the peaceful sit-in that started on February 25 in central Salalah opposite the Governor of Dhofar's main headquarters, nicknamed 'Freedom Square'.
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Participants in the sit-in, which had remained peaceful for over ten weeks, were demanding among other things better wages, more benefits and for former corrupt key government officials to be put on trial.

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On the evening of May 12, army officers entered the sit-in area in central Salalah and arrested all protesters. Helicopters that were seen hovering over the square airlifted a small group of the key speakers to an undisclosed prison facility in the north of Oman. Some of them were also released yesterday but the rest remain missing.
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On that evening, all communication services in the Dhofar region were shut down, causing great confusion among residents. More arrests followed the next morning before Friday prayers. A statement was issued by Oman’s official news agency ONA on behalf of a ‘security source’ on May 12, soon after the operation began.
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It said, ‘A security source stated that the security and military forces arrested a number of people in the governorates of Muscat and Salalah who were in charge of instigating the public to riot and break public order in a way that forced the authorities to take action. This was to deter them from transgressing the country's law and their endeavours for sedition and demands which are irrelevant to public interest.’
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Since then, army presence remained strong at many locations in Salalah, including the former protest area outside the governor's office. Security forces had also blocked the highway leading to Arzat Prison late last week following a peaceful sit-in outside the prison by the relatives and supporters of those arrested.
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Last Monday, tribal sheikhs delivered a letter to the Governor of Dhofar demanding the release of all prisoners and the withdrawal of the armed forces from Salalah. A delegation of tribal sheikhs had been visiting the prison all week, trying to negotiate the release of the detainees without them having to sign an undertaking.
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According to Ahmed, whose brother was among those released yesterday afternoon, over 350 protesters were being held at Arzat Prison. He said they had been told on Wednesday that they would be released.
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However, they were delayed for three days without a clear explanation. He also believed that not all the prisoners were released, but he had no way of knowing for sure, since they were being released in small groups of 20 and dropped off at different mosques.
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Published 22/05/2011 - Muscat Daily