Sunday 11 / January / 2026
Muscat: A court in Oman has convicted 59 expats on charges related to rioting, vandalism, incitement and the dissemination of material harmful to public order, sentencing them to prison terms, permanent deportation and the confiscation of their mobile phones.
The Court of First Instance in the Wilayat of Bidbid issued the verdict on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
The defendants were found guilty of multiple crimes, including inciting and encouraging a gathering, participating in an unlawful public gathering of ten or more people, damaging public and private property, and using information technology to produce and circulate content that could undermine public order.
The charges fall under Articles 123, 121 and 367 of the Penal Code, as well as Article 19 of the Cybercrime Law.
The court acquitted 23 other defendants of the charges brought against them.
According to the ruling, those convicted were sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for the first offense, six months for the second, and one year each for the third and fourth offenses. In cases involving multiple convictions, the court ordered the application of the harshest sentence. The court also ordered the confiscation of phones used in committing the publishing-related offenses, the permanent deportation of the convicted individuals after serving their sentences, and the publication of the verdict.
The Public Prosecution stated that the case dates back to the evening of December 25, 2025, when Royal Oman Police operations received a report of a gathering involving vandalism and incitement near a company-owned residential complex in the Sa’al area of the Wilayat of Bidbid.
Upon arriving at the scene, police observed a large group of workers engaging in acts of vandalism against company facilities and property, as well as damage to company buses.
Despite being ordered to disperse and stop the acts of vandalism, the individuals failed to comply and were subsequently arrested and interrogated. After completing the legally prescribed procedures, the accused were referred to the competent court, which issued its final ruling.
