OMAN ADOPTS ANTI-TRAFFICKING LAW

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000811 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2018 TAGS: PHUM KTIP MU SUBJECT: OMAN ADOPTS ANTI-TRAFFICKING LAW Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo for Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (U) On November 24, Sultan Qaboos issued Royal Decree 126/2008 promulgating the "Combating Human Trafficking Law," which will take effect on December 2, the day of publication in Oman's Official Gazette. The decree also cancels any existing laws that contradict the new legislation. The full text of the law will not be available publicly until it appears in the Gazette. ¶2. (C) After hearing the news of the new anti-trafficking law, the Ambassador telephoned Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi, who confirmed that the law calls for the formation of a national anti-trafficking committee headed by an official with ministerial rank, either the national police commander or the attorney general. He further stated that his objective was to move Oman to Tier 1 in the State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report and that the government would follow the letter of the law to do so. Ahmed Al-Khusaibi, the Director of Training at the Public Prosecution Office, told poloff that he was pleased with the new legislation and agreed to meet with her to discuss a strategy for training prosecutors on the anti-TIP law. ¶3. (C) Comment: As promised, the Omanis have delivered comprehensive anti-TIP legislation after the Sultanate's move off of Tier 3. Although we will not see the text of the law until December 2, the last draft that we reviewed included clear definitions of trafficking offenses and specific penalties that met international standards. Post will report further septel after the law is published and closely follow efforts to enforce the legislation. End Comment. GRAPPO