Oman has sentenced 11 people to seven years in jail for involvement in a human trafficking attempt, a newspaper reported Thursday, citing the head of the Gulf state's police force. Thirteen people, Omanis and Syrians, were suspected of being part of an attempt to exploit a group of women who arrived in Oman on transit visas from Bahrain, Oman Observer reported Lieutenant General Malik Al-Maamari as saying. Those convicted “brought women to Oman as their wives using fake marriage certificates”, Maamari, inspector-general of police and customs, told the paper. Two of the suspects have been acquitted, he said. Rights groups say many guest workers in Gulf Arab states face abuse.
