MUSCAT: An Omani court has fined two foreign nationals RO 100 each and handed them suspended one-month prison sentences after convicting them of disturbing nesting turtles and publishing online content prejudicial to public order, the Public Prosecution said on Sunday.
The criminal circuit of the Court of First Instance in Sur convicted the defendants, identified as Vadim and Olena, following an investigation into their conduct at the Ras Al Hadd Turtle Reserve.
Investigators found that the pair climbed onto the backs of large turtles, handled smaller turtles and disturbed the animals by touching and approaching them as they moved along the beaches, the prosecution said.
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The defendants filmed their actions and published the video through Vadim’s Instagram account, it added.
The court imposed a fine of RO 100 on each defendant for disturbing nesting turtles and a one-month prison sentence for producing and publishing content prejudicial to public order. It ordered the penalties to be merged, suspended execution of the custodial sentence and directed that the judgment be published.
The ruling follows the Environment Authority’s announcement on September 28 that it had initiated legal proceedings against a tourist after a video showing sea turtles being disturbed in Ras Al Hadd circulated on social media. The authority urged visitors to avoid touching, approaching or disturbing turtles, particularly at nesting sites.
The Public Prosecution urged compliance with laws protecting wildlife and nature reserves and called for responsible use of social media.
