The new Omani Citizenship Law has raised concerns regarding the protection of human rights. The law, promulgated on 2 February this year by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al Said of Oman, replaces the 2014 Citizenship Law with stricter rules. These set specific conditions for acquiring Omani citizenship that limit the possibility of specific individuals of receiving it. In particular, women, children and foreigners are the ones who are predominantly restricted by this new regulation. Also of great concern is how the law establishes the revocation of citizenship based on unclear and easily manipulated conditions.
The country’s media described the new law for obtaining Omani citizenship as a fundamental law for strengthening the country’s sovereignty and in line with national interests. The reality is that many of the new rules appear dubious and too restrictive. For instance, article 17 of the law outlines the criteria a foreigner must meet to obtain Omani citizenship. For this purpose, the person must reside for 15 consecutive years within the country without 90 days of absence in any year. With the extension of the residency period, the possibility of making specific journeys for study, work or personal reasons is removed for foreigners.
Two other groups that are affected by the limitations of this new law are women and children. If married to an Omani, the former can only apply for citizenship after eight years of consecutive residence in the county. Before the enactment of this law, there were five years of continuous residence. Concerning children with an Omani mother and a foreign father, the conditions for acquiring citizenship can make many stateless and deprive them of access to essential services. The latter are only granted citizenship if their mother has been divorced or widowed for at least five years or if the father has disappeared or abandoned them for 10 years.
Especially problematic is also what is stipulated in Article 26 of the law. This article states that Omani citizenship can be revoked on the basis of specific criteria that do not seem clear and can be used arbitrarily as a tool of repression. The law states that Omani citizenship can be revoked in two cases: if an individual insults or criticises the Sultan or the Omani government either verbally or physically; if an individual is a member of a group, party or organisation that the government considers dangerous to Oman’s interests.
The conditions in Article 26 already violate the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 15 states, “Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change its nationality.” Furthermore, through these vague conditions, the Omani government could deliberately revoke the citizenship of those who speak against the government. Significantly, members of human rights associations could face the revocation of their citizenship – as they do in other Gulf countries.
This new law, thus, becomes a political tool to silence dissenting voices in the country. It also poses itself in a specific pattern observed in other Gulf countries. Kuwait, for example, has been using a law that allows citizenship to be revoked for the same reasons. Since the beginning of this year, these measures have already been taken against 9,464 individuals. It is, therefore, concerning how these Gulf countries repress free speech through vague laws that punish dissidents in these strict ways.
The Omani Citizenship Law is not an instrument with which the country protects the interests of its people, but rather the interests of a select few. It is an instrument that severely restricts specific categories of people by limiting their access to citizenship. Through the arbitrary revocation of citizenship, it also becomes an instrument for limiting freedom of speech and association. The use that some Gulf states are making of these laws raises concerns about respect for human rights, and this law from Oman is another example that needs much attention.