Courts in the Sultanate of Oman have made it clear that there are rules for making digital content. The courts recently upheld a conviction against a citizen who was accused of breaking ethics and showing disrespect toward the national currency on digital platforms.
The Seeb Primary Court found a national, Shihab bin Ahmed bin Salem, guilty after a deep look into videos that went viral on social media. After that the appellate court agreed with the court’s decision. The appellate court also ordered a suspension of the sentence according to judicial sources.
Legal papers show that the defendant faced different charges under Omani law. These charges included doing acts, appearing in public places in a way that hurts societal traditions using digital networks to spread content that breaks moral standards and treating Omani currency with open contempt.
The initial investigation revealed that the individual recorded and published videos on social networks featuring inappropriate dance routines while wearing traditional Omani attire.
Additionally, the digital footage captured another person in Omani dress while displaying the national currency in a disrespectful manner, including placing banknotes on an individual and ostentatiously passing them around for visual effect.
The Primary Court sentenced the defendant to two months’ imprisonment for committing a public indecent act, alongside a concurrent two-month term for offending public decency.
For the misuse of digital networks and information technology platforms, the court handed down a four-month prison term, accompanied by the permanent closure of the social media account utilized in the offense and the confiscation of the mobile device. A fine of RO 150 was also levied for the contemptuous treatment of the national tender.
Under Omani criminal procedure, concurrent sentencing rules dictate that only the lengthiest prison term is actively enforced alongside administrative penalties and legal costs.
Upon review on July 22, the Seeb Court of Appeal formally accepted the appeal procedural request but rejected its substantive merits, leaving the original conviction intact while suspending the execution of the prison term.
Reiterating the framework governing digital communications, the Public Prosecution emphasized that digital expression must operate within the parameters of public order, traditional values, and national statutes across the Sultanate.
