[1] After the arrest of its Executive director and Editor in Chief Mohammed Al-Fazari in Oman in 2014 for his political activism,[2] and his escape to the UK seeking political asylum, Muwatin, a magazine published by the network, was forced to cease publishing on 14 January 2016 after the arrests and interrogations of its contributing journalists living in Oman.

The name was chosen because Muwatin is concerned with citizen issues in the Gulf and the Arab world and it seeks to establish a state of citizenship.

After Muwatin called for political reform in Oman and the Gulf countries, its Editor in Chief Al-Fazari was arrested in August 2014 and was held incommunicado for six days.

After appearing before the Special Division of the Omani Police in Muscat for an investigation, he was arrested and released on the same day without his official documents (his passport and ID card), even though no charges were brought against him.

[6] The media network's journalists and writers were threatened and arrested, forcing the team to permanently cease the publishing of Muwatin on January 14, 2016.