Oman: Good Samaritan frees 30 from jail as Ramadan scheme launches

Muscat: Some 30 people were released from jail in Dhahirah governorate on Sunday, thanks to the ‘Fak Kurbah’ programme.

The campaign, dubbed Fak Kurbah (Redeeming Anguish), was launched by the Oman Lawyers Association (OLA) in 2012 and had been embraced by both Omanis and expats.

Mohammad Al Zadjali, the head of the OLA and the Legislative and Legal Committee at Oman’s elected Shura Council, told the Times of Oman that 30 loan defaulters were released in Dhahirah courts on Sunday following a donation from an unknown good Samaritan.

“People come in droves to help this noble cause. It’s a good feeling,” he said. Al Zadjali expects more than 500 prisoners to benefit from the campaign this year. This year, Fak Kurbah’s fund-raising will be organised during three awareness campaigns in the Governorates of Muscat, Sohar, and Dhofar. Donations can also be made to a bank account connected to the initiative.

The programme helps raise funds to pay off debts in insolvency cases where people have been jailed. Now in its fifth edition, the initiative kicked off last week with the release of a prisoner in wilayat Shinas, following the donation of OMR5,000 by women living in Dhofar. ‘Fak Kurbah’ was launched in 2012 by 10 lawyers, who succeeded in securing the release of people involved in 44 different cases.

Since then, the initiative has grown, with more than 1,205 prisoners freed as a result of the association’s work.