Heartening news arrives from Oman this morning. The sultan of the Gulf country of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, has pardoned and released dozens of formerly incarcerated online activists. Amnesty International, the human rights campaign group, called the Sultan's decision a "very welcome step".
Oman, an ocean bordered country to the East of Saudi Arabia, Yeman, and the United Arab Emirates, had cases of people being incarcerated due to "offensive writing" in the media or online in mid 2012. Offensive writing included insulting the sultan and inciting others to action "under the pretext of freedom of expression". To say that the release of these people is a sign of hope for the future in the farther corners of the Middle East would be an understatement.
Urged by members of Amnesty International, many hope that Sultan Qaboos bin Said will begin to lift restrictions on freedom of expression. While it would not be a fast transition, a change in policy would not be to surprising given these events. One can only hope that Sultan Qaboos can see the errors of the past in repression of expression by neighboring countries.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21927062
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