[meteorite-list] Oman prison saga

From: actionshooting at carolina.rr.com <actionshooting_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:39:30 +0000
Message-ID: <20110314193930.9DN0W.9446.root_at_hrndva-web26-z02>

Yes it is good to have them home safe and sound.
I would not wish a foreign prison on anybody!! (well maybe Osama or Gadahfi):-)

Welcome Home!!



Stuart McDaniel



---- Galactic Stone and Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Mike, Robert and List,
>
> I concur with what some of the others said - I don't recall anyone
> being happy you guys were sitting in an Omani prison. Of course, when
> the news got around, people did talk about it, and it did result in
> the expected debates about hunting, legalities, and the like.
> Eventually, everyone just shut up about it in public because we didn't
> want to add to your problem.
>
> Now that both of you are back home and safe, everything can return to
> normal - or what passes for normal in the meteorite world.
>
> I don't think anyone would wish a foreign prison on their worst enemy,
> and if there are people out there who were happy to see you guys rot
> in a cell, then I would not want to have anything to do with such
> people.
>
> Now, get some rest, try to unwind, and get out there and find the
> first American lunar. :)
>
> Best regards and happy huntings,
>
> MikeG
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
>
> Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> News Feed - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
> EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> On 3/14/11, cdtucson at cox.net <cdtucson at cox.net> wrote:
> > Mike and Robert,
> > Welcome back.
> > I agree with Ruben in that nobody I spoke with about you guys wanted to see
> > you imprisoned.
> > In fact between you and the shootings of Gabby and company the mood at the
> > Tucson Show was that of civility.
> > for the past twenty years I have never missed the show but, this year was a
> > special one. The sadness felt for you guys was evident every day of the
> > show.
> > People shared good stories about you two and everyone wished for your safe
> > speedy return.
> > I know I longed to hear what you had to say in your personal phone calls to
> > Jim Strope.
> > This gave us all hope.
> > Hopefully the civility inspired by the two of you along with Gabby and the
> > rest will last.
> > I commented on this before that this years Tucson was the friendliest ever.
> > Welcome back guys. I think we are all better people from your suffering.
> > 40 pound weight loss. Man , you might be able to sell that diet plan? Ha ha
> > Carl
> >
> > --
> > Carl or Debbie Esparza
> > Meteoritemax
> >
> >
> > ---- Michael Farmer <mike at meteoriteguy.com> wrote:
> >> 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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--
Stuart McDaniel
Lawndale, NC

Received on Mon 14 Mar 2011 03:39:30 PM PDT