Omani activist imprisoned for 'insulting ruler' dies
Omani activist imprisoned for 'insulting ruler' dies
An activist imprisoned in Oman died following poor medical care as he was serving his three year sentence, human rights groups have said.
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Basham was convicted on charges including insulting Oman's ruler [Twitter]
An activist serving a three-year prison sentence on charges related to his online activism died in Oman according to human rights groups.
A coalition of four rights groups, including the Omani Association for Human Rights and the Gulf Center for Human Rights, said Wednesday that Hassan al-Basham passed away on 28 April in Samail Central Prison after a sharp drop in his blood sugar levels.
Courts apparently knew about Basham's deteriorating health. A request submitted by his lawyers for a medical examination was ignored by an appellate court.
Basham has been detained since September 2015 and was convicted on charges including insulting Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and using the internet to prejudice religious values.
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Human rights groups describe Basham as an online activist who has defended prisoners of conscience with numerous writings.
He participated in the 2011 protests during the Arab Spring, which in Oman focused on improving social conditions such as more jobs, as well as combating corruption.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights believed that he was targeted as part of an ongoing trend of targeting human rights defenders and online activists in Oman by internal security, which endangers freedom of expression in the country.
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