Saudi, Hungarian defense ministers discuss military ties    Al-Rajhi: Cabinet's decision is supportive to most vulnerable groups    King Salman appoints Dr. Majid Al-Fayyad as Royal Court advisor    Alkhorayef emphasizes Saudi Arabia's growing role as global industrial investment hub    Saudi Arabia adopts World Drowning Prevention Day as national health priority    GACA imposes SR2.8 million in fines for 87 civil aviation violations in Q2 2025    Desperate Gaza doctors cram several babies into one incubator as fuel crisis reaches critical point    ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over women's rights violations    Syria issues appeal to EU for help battling massive wildfires along northwestern coast    Total e-messages sent to parties in lawsuits reach over 11.8 million during first half of 2025    3 arrested in assault case in Riyadh    New Property Ownership Law will take into effect in January 2026 Al-Hogail thanks King and Crown Prince for the updated law    HONOR returns to Esports World Cup as Official Smartphone Partner for 2025 The renewed commitment will see HONOR elevate mobile esports competition with cutting-edge AI technologies and industry-leading hardware    Riot Games responds to match-fixing allegations in VALORANT    BLAST responds to BESTIA Visa controversy ahead of CS2 Austin major    Christophe Galtier named NEOM SC head coach ahead of historic Saudi Pro League debut    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Oman releases 57 protesters
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 04 - 2011

MUSCAT: Omani police have released 57 people arrested in a crackdown on protests in the northern industrial city of Sohar, a day after a protester was shot dead, ONA state news agency reported.
The public prosecutor announced it had concluded questioning those arrested Tuesday, when security forces stormed the Earth roundabout in Sohar, the scene of protest sit-ins since Feb. 27.
“The public prosecutor has decided to release 57 persons after they have been questioned,” a statement carried by ONA said, without disclosing the number of those remaining in custody. The prosecutor also said “legal procedures will be followed concerning the events Friday,” acknowledging that a civilian had died “after being critically wounded”.
It was the second death in the port during the current wave of unrest sweeping across the region, after police killed a protester at the end of February in Sohar, an industrial area some 200km north of the capital Muscat, particularly badly hit by unemployment.
Security forces detained between 50 and 60 protesters in clashes Friday in Sohar, witnesses said.
Dozens of protesters staged a sit-in Saturday in the Omani capital to demand probes into alleged state abuses. The unrest Friday in the northern industrial city of Sohar — where the protest movement began more than six weeks ago suggests that high-level shake-ups and other concessions by Oman's rulers have fallen short of the demonstrators' demands for greater political freedoms.
In a sign of worries about more violence, military imposed a nighttime curfew in Sohar and stationed units around government offices and other key buildings in the city, about 200 km northwest of the capital, Muscat.
Medical officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media, said a 22-year-old man died early Saturday from injuries in the clashes and at least four other protesters were wounded. The precise cause of death was not immediately known. Authorities say they used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets in “self defense” after the crowds began pelting riot police with stones and brandishing knives, according to a statement by Oman's prosecutor's office. Protesters, however, claim that police opened fire with live ammunition.
Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, has replaced more than a dozen cabinet officials and promised other reforms such as 50,000 new civil servant posts. But the government has failed to halt the wave of rallies, sit-ins and strikes to pressure for changes that include more media freedoms and weakening the ruling system's grip on power.


Clic here to read the story from its source.