We call upon all people of conscience who believe in human rights, justice, and freedom to ask for the immediate and unconditional release of the internationally known Omani writer, poet, and film critic Abdullah Habib.
The Omani security service arrested Abdullah Habib on April15, 2016. He continues to be detained and has been deprived of the basic civil rights and due legal process.
Abdullah Habib has always lived as a genuine and committed advocate for freedom of speech through various forms of creative, intellectual, and cinematic expression. He has lived his life always favoring the culture of love, goodness, and beauty. He has worked tirelessly and faithfully for human rights and for a project of enlightenment, envisioning a homeland ruled by justice and equality.
A detention center is not a place for an intellectual like Abdullah Habib, not even for one minute. Instead he deserves to be honored and appreciated for what he represents: an exemplary role model who calls for peace and promotes it through the path of dialogue and knowledge.
Furthermore, we, the signatories of this letter, condemn every violation committed by the security service of the Sultanate of Oman, which has not ceased to target citizens who express dissenting views, especially the thoughts and opinions articulated by writers and intellectuals who are driven by their belief in human rights and moral duties.
The practice of targeting writers and intellectuals is likely to reflect negatively on national peace, on Oman’s social cohesion, and its international reputation. The people of the world are watching and bearing witness to these unjust practices.
The suffocating siege practiced by the Omani security service is no longer a secret. The indefinite detention of dissenters and the fabrication of false charges are no longer a secret. These acts are committed in accordance with explicit laws that allow the authorities to interfere with civic freedoms, randomly arrest and detain civilians, imprison them in secretive locations, and deny them any legal representation or safeguard.
Intellectuals, writers, poets and civil rights advocates are living in a climate of constant intimidation and fear for their personal freedom and safety. They have been subjected to vicious campaigns of vilification and defamation through the practice of creating false names and false identities on social media in order to cast doubt and suspicion, and to assassinate the character of every writer, educator, or activist who expresses dissenting views in the face of the dominant powers.
These shameless and contemptible violations of freedom of expression represent a constant threat to any prospect of liberty, the natural and vital mark of any healthy society.
We, the signatories of this appeal reiterate our demand to the authorities of the Sultanate of Oman for the immediate and unconditional release of the poet and writer Abdullah Habib; we call for the guarantee of his complete freedom as well as a public apology.
In this appeal, we likewise condemn all such security practices against writers, intellectuals and critics, wherever they exist worldwide. We stand in solidarity with all who exercise their natural right to criticize and express their views.