Executive Summary:
As part of the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Oman, Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute and White Tent submitted a joint stakeholder report highlighting the systemic legal and institutional discrimination faced by transgender individuals in Oman. Despite claims of equality under Omani law, recent legislative developments have deepened criminalisation of gender expression and denied transgender people access to basic rights.
The report documents how Oman continues to disregard previous UPR recommendations related to gender identity, freedom of expression, and access to healthcare. It sheds light on punitive legal measures—such as Article 266 of the Penal Code—and the establishment of surveillance units like Rasd, which monitor and prosecute individuals for non-conforming gender expression.
Oman prohibits legal gender recognition and explicitly bans gender-affirming healthcare, placing transgender individuals in a state of legal invisibility. These policies lead to denial of entry, deportation, arbitrary detention, and widespread social stigma.
The report calls on the Omani government to end criminalisation, adopt inclusive anti-discrimination laws, permit legal gender recognition, and ensure full access to healthcare and justice for transgender and intersex individuals. It further urges the dismantling of state surveillance mechanisms targeting gender expression.
This submission is part of Cairo 52’s ongoing work to expose legal frameworks that marginalize gender-diverse communities in the MENA region, and to advocate for rights-based, inclusive policy reform.
If you wish to know more about the UPR process, please visit the UPR Fact Sheet from here
Read and download the report:
