The Shuhuh6 were arbitarily detained and have now been sentanced to life imprisonment.. The Omani Authorities have not disclosed any legal basis for the detentions, citing only vague "national security" grounds, and proceedings have violated international guarantees of the right to a fair trial.
1. Ali Ahmed Rajab al-Obaidi al-Shahi, detained in Musandam on 9 April;
2. Ali Mohammed Ali Mazyud al-Shahi, also detained, separately, in Musandam on 9 April;
3. Mohammed Abdullah Ahmed bin Rahma al-Shahi, detained 5 May from his home in Dubai and handed over to the authorities in Oman, his country of nationality;
4. Mohammed Sulaiman Mohammed Mazyud al-Shahi, detained on 28 May at al-Dara as he was returning to Musandam from the ‘umrah pilgrimage.
5. Rashed Saeed al-Salhadi al-Shahi, an Emirati national detained on 6 April in al-Rawda, Musandam, and n 27th August was convicted and sentenced him to life in prison on charges that are still unconfirmed as the state has not provided any documents.
6. Aref Sultan Ahmed al-Shahi, also of Emirati nationality but with family roots in Musandam, in the second half of July, was detained at al-Dara border crossing by Oman’s Internal Security Service as he was entering from the UAE.
In addition to these detained, the Internal Security Service summoned, in the second half of July, tens of residents of Musandam province, though these individuals were released after being interrogated and/or held for several days. In one case, the detainee was released after being held for a month. Some of those summoned were compelled to sign statements before they were released, pledging that they would not use social media and/or communicate with family members in the UAE. In March 2016, a local folklore music group were detained but released after several weeks without charge. The series of detentions and summonses in Musandam, which began this spring, has been subject to strict media silence in Oman. Neither the official Oman News Agency nor any local news outlets have reported on the events.
The case comes against a backdrop of tension over the areas inhabited by the Shuhuh tribe, which is spread across both sides of the border. All of those detained or summoned are from the Shuhuh tribe, as indicated by the family name al-Shahi. Shuhuh members make up the majority of the residents of Musandam, known locally as Ru’us al- Jibal. Musandam province is a territorial exclave of Oman, separated from its mainland and forming the tip of the Arabian Peninsula where it juts into the Strait of Hormuz. It abuts the territory of the United Arab Emirates, adjacent to the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.
The Shuhuh tribe and Musandam province are culturally distinct from mainland Oman including;
Their practice of Islam differs from the Ibadi sect that predominates in Oman,
Their own tribal dialect of Arabic - which is often said to be unintelligable to other tribes in the UAE region,
Traditional dress also differs which includes coloured head gear instead of the white ghutra headgear worn by Gulf Arabs,
Their homes are also distinct from other parts of the Arab world with their stone built structures built to survive a more wet climate,
Agricultural and husbandry practices also differ.
Since the initial Omani subjugation in 1930 and taking full control in 1971,what was once 100 inhabited towns is now under 20 with many of the Shuhuh migrating to other Arab states, leaving behind their way of life to find jobs and sustenance.
Some of the other environmentally and culturally oppressive acts to which the Shuhuh have been repeatedly subjected to include:
Contamination of Shuhuh fishing areas - due to installing stone grinding in marine areas, destroying their way of life
Contamination of their water – no action has been taken in response to scientific testing of water from wells in Musandam which have shown elevated toxins (e.g. e-coli)
Demolition of historic relics, forts and castles
Demolition of centuries-old homes
Eradication of the Shuhuh national identity by criminalising their customs and traditions
No Further Education nor Specialist Hospital Facilities in the region.
Amnesty International is concerned "that these detentions may have been motivated in part by discrimination based on the detainees tribal origins as members of the al-Shuhuh, which would contravene the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which Oman is a party. The organisation is also concerned that the arrests were arbitary since they occurred without an arrest warrant. Under Article 48 of Oman's Code of Criminal Procedure, arrests are to be made with the authorisation from the Office of Public Prosecution. Per Article 49, paragraph 1, the order for arrest must be in writing and state the cause for arrest; and, per paragraph 2, the detained shall be informed "immediately" of the cause for his arrest and has the right to call and inform whomever he wishes and to access legal counsel. It appears that these procedures were not followed in this case. Incommunicado detention is not compatible with Articles 6, 10 and 11.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and arbitrary detention is contrary to Article 9.