[meteorite-list] Oman prison saga

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 06:14:33 -0400
Message-ID: <002c01cbe230$a166d650$0402a8c0_at_Desktop>

Welcome back Mike and Robert.

I was unaware of your ordeal until last week.

I am glad that you two made it out unharmed. A little lighter perhaps but
now safe and sound.

I know it's not the most important thing but I have to ask. Did the
authorities let you keep the meteorites you found or where they confiscated
and not returned?

-Walter Branch


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Farmer" <mike at meteoriteguy.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 11:36 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Oman prison saga


> 90% of the meteorite list is interested in the Oman meteorite saga that
> Robert Ward and Michael Farmer went through from our arrest in early
> January until our release ordered on March 7th 2011.
>
> This is my story, Robert can tell his, as it is a little different as we
> were separated, interrogated, and housed apart for more than half of the
> event.
>
> On December 31st we headed for Oman, my 20th meteorite hunting expedition
> there. I have studied the law there since the arrest of the Russian and
> American hunters back in 2005. There is no law against meteorite hunting
> in Oman, those who asked why we keep doing it, that is why. It is legal.
> After months of meeting with lawyers, looking at Oman law, I think we know
> what we are talking about.
>
> We had a very successful trip, I found 35 meteorites, 3 pieces of the
> Dhofar 1180 Lunar, more than 100 grams, and some other nice things. On the
> last day we headed out of the desert and towards Dubai. At 1 PM on 13
> January we arrived at a police roadblock in Adam, nothing out of the norm,
> until they rushed my car with M16's and they had heavy belt-fed guns on
> their trucks. They forced us out of our cars and ripped them apart of
> course, finding the meteorites immediately. We were taken to the Adam
> police station and interrogated for 10 hours. The Wali (governor) of the
> area arrived and was very upset at our confinement, he kept apologizing to
> us and saying he did not understand why we were being arrested and kept
> calling Muscat to try and get us released, he was angry at tourists being
> detained in his district. He then informed that orders from much higher in
> the government came in that we were to be taken to Muscat and it was out
> of his hands. The
> roadblock was for us, they had intel that we were coming. I have intel on
> who did it......
>
> We were driven to Muscat in shackles, arriving at midnight, taken to an
> interrogation center in Qurum. Stripped, put into separate rooms, and
> never saw each other again for the next 25 days except when the embassy
> came, our lawyers came, or we were taken to the hospital a couple of
> times.
> Qurum Criminal Investigation Division is little more than a torture
> chamber, we heard many times people being beaten, and dragged around.
> I was interrogated in a conference room after more than 72 hours without
> sleep. We were kept in small rooms, 9 x 9 x 12 ft, with small pad on the
> floor and two blankets, horribly filthy, crawling with roaches, and things
> on the floors and walls which I decline to try to describe. There were 4
> rooms, Robert and I in two, and other people in the others, we could hear
> them crying or screaming sometimes.
> I tried to speak to Robert a couple of times just to see if he was there,
> and he would yell he was, then the police would come and threaten me not
> to speak again, this went on for 25 days and nights, 24 hours a day in
> that room, cold, a small light on 24/7 you never knew the time of day
> except when food would come.
> It was a nightmare that never seemed to end. I was close to losing it,
> never did, but my military training kicked in and helped with that.
>
> It was more than 48 hours since our arrest that I was interrogated, forced
> to sign a statement of guilt, then driven to a prosecutor's office at
> midnight on the 15th of Jan. No phone calls in that time, no chance to see
> lawyer or embassy despite endless pleas. I was charged with various crimes
> again with no chance to see lawyer beforehand. I begged the prosecutor for
> a call and he refused, then thankfully after he sent me out into a waiting
> room, another person handed me a cell phone quietly so I called my wife
> and in 20 seconds told her I was in jail in Muscat, and to call for help
> to the embassy,.
> It took a week for the embassy to find us. Oman violated many laws, they
> are required to provide lawyer before charges are filed, and contact
> embassy within 24 hours, neither done.
>
> After that, the endless days passed in hell, the toilet a hole in the
> ground and I will leave the rest to your imagination.
> We went to trial on 6 Feb, a 15 minute joke in Arabic with one question
> asked by the judge, who then sentenced us to 6 months in prison and a $250
> fine for illegal mining operations.
> We were sent the next day to the Sumail central prison.
>
> Once we arrived at the prison, Robert and I were placed together in a
> room, for the first time we could talk at will, see the sky and see other
> people. We were in a brand new American made ultra-max type prison. It was
> quite nice if you can call prison nice. Clean, new, but full. Usually
> around 200 people in our cell block. Taliban types, drug smugglers from
> Iran and Pakistan, drunks from India, car thieves from Oman etc.
> We were the only two westerners in a prison of thousands, so they worked
> hard to keep up safe, the other prisoners were told they would suffer
> greatly if they laid a finger on us.
>
> After two weeks there, the prison changed, when the political situation in
> Oman turned ugly, rioting, fires, deaths etc all happened in Oman, even
> though the news was blacked out. Special forces were brought in as some of
> the other cell blocks rioted and all hell broke loose. We were then scared
> for our lives. We were also nearly starved to death. I lost nearly 40 lbs
> just by laying in bed, the food was less than my cat eats in a day.
> Horrible crap, watery Dal from India, some dry rice, Arabic flatbread,
> goop of all sorts, some form of meat that would be about the size of your
> thumb for lunch. A prisoner carved me a spoon out of a toilet cleaner
> chemical container, I have it here.
>
> We saw people beaten, dragged away in shackles never to be seen again by
> us, sick people refused medicine, diabetics refused shots and very sick.
> We were treated well, which was sad that as Americans we were immediately
> taken to the doctor when we were sick, others dragged back to bed in
> horrible pain, no need for a doctor for them..............
>
> Then came last week, our appeal in Nizwa. A different type of trial with 3
> judges, and we were actually allowed to speak. I pled not guilty to all
> charges, and the judges asked why. I was accused of illegal mining, I
> asked what mining equipment I had been captured with, a phone, a sat
> phone, a camera, a GPS, Ipad and Ipod. I told the court none of these
> things can mine, nor find meteorites, the judges agreed. The prosecutor
> fumed.
> We were also charged with violating Cultural Heritage laws, taking
> artifacts of more than 60 years old. I told the court that a meteorite is
> not an artifact, and when asked how old it was, I said it was unknown. The
> prosecutor said it was old, I asked what evidence he had to prove that,
> again the judges conferred and nodded their agreement that no evidence was
> provided to prove age one way or another than since it is not man made,
> that could not even be guessed.
>
> Robert also spoke at length, then our lawyer fought very hard back and
> forth with the prosecutor and judges for an hour or so over every aspect
> of Omani law, then the judges left the room, came back 5 minutes later,
> looked at Robert and I and said in Arabic "Hallas" which means "finished"
> and then in perfect English, "You are released from prison". They smiled
> at us on their way out of the courtroom.
>
> Robert and I looked at each other in shock, then the policeman said we
> were free to go. We hugged then were taken back to the prison as we had to
> sign out and get our things. The last night in prison was a real party
> with all the friends we made there.
>
> The next day we were taken back to Muscat as the Embassy and my wife made
> travel arrangements for us to go home. A very happy day for us. We flew
> out at midnight on the 8th of March.
>
>
> There is no law against meteorite hunting in Oman. They might not like it,
> but Cultural Heritage does not apply. There are specific items listed, not
> meteorites. The mining law does not apply, 7 articles are very specific
> about mining, stones on the surface do not apply.
>
> The word meteorite does not exist in their laws, many other stones are
> specifically named as forbidden from removal, meteorites are not among
> them.
>
> We committed no crime, that being said, it doesn't change the fact that we
> spent two months in hell.
> We were deported and can not return to Oman.
> I have been to Oman enough times anyway, I have nearly a thousand
> meteorites from there, all mine legally.
> There is a 3 month statute of limitations on any theft crime, the
> prosecutor told us that any stone taken more than 3 months before is ours
> to keep as any claim by Oman expires 3 months after it was found.
>
> All meteorites from Oman are legal, regardless of what Beda Hoffmann and
> the Omani professor says, the law is clear. They don't like it, well then
> I say change the law.
>
> But that does not change the fact that they will arrest you, deprive you
> of even your rights guaranteed under Omani law, and make you suffer
> greatly if you are caught there. Justice in Oman is a joke.
>
> It was worth the time though, we have had adventures there that money
> can't buy. Those of you who have never taken a risk can not understand
> that those of us who gather these stones that fill museums and collections
> around the world, do so at risk to life and limb. Those who are unwilling
> to risk usually gain little.
>
> Thanks for all the support from those who tried to help me and my wife
> during a very frightening and difficult time, and to those who were happy
> at our suffering, we made it through as men, I am stronger, wiser, and a
> happier person now. When your time of need comes, may the favor be repaid,
> I am a strong believer in Karma.
> Michael Farmer
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Received on Mon 14 Mar 2011 06:14:33 AM PDT