Welcome home, Mike and Rob. I guess this means I'd better start saving my allowance up for more meteorite purchases Mike. You always have something I can't get along without and you have always been fair with me.
Thanks for setting the record straight on Omani law. Regards, Count Deiro IMCA 3536 -----Original Message----- >From: Michael Farmer <[email protected]> >Sent: Mar 13, 2011 8:36 PM >To: [email protected] >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 >______________________________________________ >Visit the Archives at >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html >Meteorite-list mailing list >[email protected] >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
