Public Prosecution penalises foreign nationals for disturbing wildlife and posting illegal content in South Al Sharqiyah

Muscat: The Court of First Instance in Sur (Criminal Circuit) has convicted two foreign nationals of disturbing nesting turtles at the Ras Al Hadd Turtle Reserve and publishing content deemed prejudicial to public order.The court found the first defendant, Vadim, and the second defendant, Olena, guilty of harming and disturbing nesting turtles by touching, approaching, and climbing onto the backs of large turtles, as well as handling smaller ones while they moved along the reserve's beaches. The defendants were each fined OMR 100 for the wildlife offence. Additionally, they were sentenced to one month in prison for using information technology to produce and publish content prejudicial to public order, after investigations revealed they filmed their actions and uploaded the video to the first defendant's Instagram account.The court ordered the penalties to be merged, suspended the execution of the custodial sentence, and mandated the publication of the judgment. Following the completion of investigations, the defendants were referred to the competent court.The Public Prosecution has reiterated the importance of strictly complying with laws protecting wildlife and nature reserves, as well as exercising responsibility when using social media to safeguard public order and societal values