Muscat: The Muscat Appeals Court said on Thursday that the verdict in the case against three Omani journalists of Al Zaman newspaper due to which the paper was subsequently closed has been postponed to December 12 to allow for more hearings.
The court has ordered a media blackout of hearings in the case. Ebrahim Al Mamari, the editor-in-chief of Al Zaman, Yousuf Al Haj, the editor, and Zahir Al Abri, a reporter for the publication, were detained for over a month before the trial began. The action came after the daily published reports in July that alleged corruption in the country’s judicial system. The three journalists were released on bail last month.
In September, the court upheld a government order to permanently close Al Zaman newspaper and jailed three of its journalists for undermining the state.
Based on the charges read in court, the three were convicted of disturbing public order, undermining the prestige of the state, and misusing the internet, the sources said.
The court sentenced Al Mamari, Al Haj and Al Abri to a prison sentence of one year each. The court also fined Al Mamari and Al Haj 3,000 riyals (Dh28,616) each, and Al Abri 1,000 riyals. It also ordered Al Zaman to close its offices permanently.
