Criminal
A 2018 penal code replacing the 1974 statute
Royal Decree 7 of 2018 issued a new Penal Code, modernising the 1974 code while retaining sharia-derived offences and penalties in some areas.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Criminal divisions of the ordinary courts, with appeal and Supreme Court review.
- Deadline — 48 hours for police detention before referral to prosecution
- Deadline — 30 days to appeal a criminal judgment
Governing law
- Penal Code, Royal Decree 7 of 2018
- Criminal Procedure Law, Royal Decree 97 of 1999
- Cybercrime Law, Royal Decree 12 of 2011
In practice
The 2018 code restructured offences and penalties and increased sentences for some public order and state security offences, so it was not straightforwardly liberalising. Provisions on insulting the Sultan, damaging national unity and blasphemy remain and are used. The 2011 cybercrime law covers online content broadly. Alcohol is available under licence to non-Muslims. Oman abolished the death penalty in practice for most offences and executions are extremely rare, which distinguishes it from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.