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INFO GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/02 
TAGS: PHUM MU
SUBJECT: (C) OMAN NAMES MEMBERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION; EMBASSY 
ASSISTANCE SOUGHT 
 
REF: A. 08 MUSCAT 795; B. 08 MUSCAT 838 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Schmierer, Ambassador, Department of State, 
Embassy Muscat; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Oman named the members of its Human Rights 
Commission on January 24, at last providing substance to the 
November 2008 Royal Decree establishing the commission.  Although 
there has been some criticism of the members selected, the list 
contains many known Embassy contacts who should prove to be 
effective in this group.  Initial interactions with members have 
been positive, and the individuals are extremely excited about 
participating in the commission.  The commission had its first 
meeting one week after being named, at which it scheduled a second 
meeting to take place only a week later.  By objective standards, 
the government-appointed body cannot be deemed independent. 
However, the structure of the HRC allows for the possibility that 
it could operate without government interference.  Within Oman, 
where people are accustomed to pervasive government involvement in 
society, the absence of overt government control and the 
commission's apparent ability to develop its own agenda portends a 
measure of independence.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) On January 24, the Sultan issued Royal Decree 10/2010 
appointing the chairman and members of the Human Rights Commission 
(HRC).  The commission was originally formed by Royal Decree 
124/2008 issued November 15, 2008 (Ref A) with the following 
responsibilities (Ref B): 
 
- Pursuing the protection of human rights and freedoms in Oman in 
accordance with Omani law and international conventions and 
treaties; 
 
- Monitoring remarks by foreign governments, international 
organizations, and NGOs in the area of human rights in  Oman in 
order to verify and respond to such remarks; 
 
- Consulting with concerned authorities regarding human rights and 
freedoms and contributing to the drafting of reports on these 
issues; 
 
- Monitoring any violations or infringements related to human 
rights and assisting in resolving them; and 
 
- Proposing an annual plan which includes national mechanisms 
necessary to spread "a human rights culture," as well as referring 
the plan to the Council of Ministers for approval and ensuring its 
proper implementation. 
 
 
 
Members of the committee are: 
 
- Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Mas'ud al Riyami, Chairman; member of 
the Majlis al-Dawla 
 
- Ambassador Ali bin Salim bin Mas'ud al Ma'mari, Vice Chairman; 
Chief of International Affairs Department, MFA 
 
- Dr. Rasheed bin al-Safi bin Khamis al Haribi, member of the 
Majlis al-Shura 
 
- Hussain bin Jawad bin Muhammad Abdulrasal; Chairman W.J. Towell 
Corporation 
 
- Saoud bin Ali bin Abdullah al Jabri; Chairman General Federation 
of Oman Trade Unions 
 
- Dr. Rashid bin Hamad bin Humaid al Bulushi; Assistant Dean, 
School of Law, Sultan Qaboos University 
 
- Jihan bint Abdullah bin Muhammad al Lamki; Omani Journalists 
Association; Host of popular Oman TV talk show 
 
- Jihad bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al Tai, well-known lawyer, a 
famous Omani political scholar 
 
- Dina bint Hamza bin Abdullah al Asfur; Director of Nutrition, 
Ministry of Health, head of a volunteer group there 
 
- Shaikh Muhanna bin Salih bin Sa'ud al Ma'wali, Director General 
of Nationality and Elections, Ministry of Interior 
 
- Zakiyah bing Hamdan bin Rashid al Farsi; Advisor to the Minister 
of Social Affairs on women's and children's issues 
 
- Shaikh Sultan bin Mattar bin Slaim al 'Azizi; Director of Legal 
 
 
Department, Ministry of Justice 
 
- Salih bin 'Ayil bin Khamis al 'Amri; Advisor to the Minister of 
Manpower (MoM) 
 
- Fahd bin Ahmad bin Hamad al Jabri, Director of Training and 
Recruitment, Ministry of Civil Service 
 
 
 
¶3. (C) The group represents a range of civil society, government, 
and labor groups; three of the 14 members are women.  Six members 
are from government ministries, six are from the private sector and 
two are from the Majlis Oman.  Dr. Rasheed al Haribi is the brother 
of former Embassy LES Khalid al Haribi (ref B) who runs Tawasul, 
Oman's first  think-tank and an organization dedicated to promoting 
civil society.  Dr. Rasheed is the honorary chairman of Tawasul and 
actively supports its endeavors.  Saoud al Jabri has worked 
extensively with the International Labor Organization and the 
Solidarity Center under MEPI-funded grants to increase the capacity 
of Oman's nascent labor unions.  Dr. Rashid al Bulushi is a strong 
partner in the Embassy's rule of law efforts and the recipient of a 
local MEPI grant to create a labor law bench book for judges.  He 
currently has two additional local grant proposals submitted. Salih 
al Amri is one of the most supportive and knowledgeable of the 
Embassy's contacts at the MoM on labor and TIP issues.  Shaikh 
Sultan Al 'Azizi is a 1999 International Visitor Leadership Program 
(IVLP)  alumnus, having attended a program on U.S. Judicial 
Systems. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) In a conversation with poloff on January 25, Saoud al Jabri 
was visibly delighted to have been chosen for the HRC.  Although 
personally pleased, he was even more encouraged about the message 
sent to workers in Oman with the selection of a union leader, a MoM 
official, and an employer saying that, "this enshrines the 
tripartite process in the main human rights group." 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) On January 30, the Dutch Embassy hosted a public lecture by 
Ambassador at Large for Human Rights Arjan Hamburger.  The event 
was attended by about 40 individuals, 75% of whom were Omani. 
During the question and answer period after the lecture, Tabia al 
Mawali, a noted local human rights activist, criticized the 
selection of the HRC, noting that both the chairman and deputy 
chairman have military backgrounds and that there are no political 
activists from civil society included - that it was strictly a 
"government commission."  (Note:  The Omani military is viewed by 
some as one of the most progressive elements of society and has no 
record of human rights violations.  End Note.)  She opined that she 
shared the view prevalent in Omani chat rooms and blogs that not 
much is expected from the HRC. 
 
 
 
¶6. (C) Dr. Rasheed Al Haribi discussed the HRC at length with 
poloff on January 30 after the conclusion of the human rights 
event.  He was excited to have been chosen for the commission, 
while acknowledging the large task ahead.  He noted that one of the 
responsibilities of the HRC is to respond to international reports 
regarding human rights in Oman and sought information on the U.S. 
Human Rights Report.  He was concerned that the criticism of the 
HRC before it had even met was not "giving them a chance," and 
clarified that the chairman and deputy had not been selected for 
their military experience, but in their current roles at the Majlis 
and the MFA.  He predicted that meeting location and office space 
would be an immediate issue as it would be more cost effective to 
meet at the Majlis al-Dawla, but that would lessen the group's 
independence.  He was very interested in continuing to dialogue 
with the Embassy on these issues. 
 
 
 
¶7. (C) The HRC met for the first time on January 31 and there was 
limited media coverage of the gathering; however, it noted that one 
of the topics on the agenda was the formation of working groups. 
Khalid al Haribi contacted poloff on January 31 seeking input on 
the organizational structure for the working groups, revealing that 
his brother, HRC member Rasheed al Haribi, had sought his 
assistance on the matter.  In a meeting on February 1, Khalid al 
Haribi worked with poloff to define four working groups along with 
proposed members for each group.  He noted that the HRC 
deliberately chose "working group" vs. "sub-committee" in order to 
focus on getting things done.  He said the commission had agreed to 
meet again next Sunday night and joked that "it is definitely not a 
 
 
government body if they are actually going to meet at night!" 
(Note:  The HRC is only required by law to meet four times a year; 
an immediate second meeting is thus itself an encouraging sign. 
End Note.) 
 
 
 
¶8. (C) When asked about the absence of anyone on the HRC who could 
address religious freedom issues, Al Haribi speculated that this 
was a deliberate choice by the Sultan to emphasize the division 
between religion and civil affairs.  He opined that if a religious 
figure were involved in the HRC, that individual would merely have 
to say "the Quran says..." to shut down discussion on any topic. 
 
 
 
¶9. (C) COMMENT:  A healthy cynicism about the immediate impact of 
this group and its independence is likely warranted.  However, many 
of the negative comments currently circulating are either unfounded 
or uninformed and do not seem to take into account the strong 
credentials of many of the commission members.   This group 
represents a well-qualified collection of Omanis who are leaders in 
moving forward a liberal agenda for human rights in Oman.  They are 
not ministers or extremely high ranking officials, but rather a 
group of a younger generation of Omanis who should be able to 
provide leadership into the future.  END COMMENT. 
Schmierer