Oman closes down newspaper, accuses it of insulting judiciary

A privately owned newspaper in Oman said on its website on Wednesday it had been suspended from publishing, a day after the government said it had "taken measures" against a paper for insulting the judiciary, without naming the publication.

The editor of the Arabic language daily Azamn was detained almost two weeks ago over an article alleging an official had tried to influence a court ruling, the Committee to Protect Journalists cited the newspaper as saying. A staff member confirmed Ibrahim al-Mamari was still in detention.

In a statement published by state news agency ONA late on Tuesday, the government said that the newspaper had "not only exceeded the limits of freedom of speech, but drifted into ... harming one of the pillars of the state, the judiciary."

The government said it had taken unspecified measures "that would safeguard the judiciary and protect it from those who wanted to abuse," according to the statement.

The statement did not identify the newspaper and did not explain the action taken. But the newspaper's website on Wednesday displayed a message stating "Azamn suspended from publishing".

An employee said the order to close did not "give a clear reason, nor the a time frame for the publication ban".

Azamn's corruption coverage in 2014 led to a number of convictions of senior officials and company executives.

In 2011, a court issued a decision ordering the newspaper closed down for a month and Mamari and a reporter were given five-month suspended jail sentences for insulting the justice minister and other officials.