A court in Oman has shut down a privately-run newspaper and sentenced three journalists to prison for reporting on alleged corruption inside the judiciary.
They include the editor-in-chief of the Azamn newspaper.
Charges against the paper and the journalists include disturbing public order, undermining the prestige of the state and misusing the Internet.
Authorities suspended the newspaper's publication last month, and Monday's court decision makes it permanent.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the United States is "very concerned" about the court's action, and that the U.S. ambassador to Oman made that concern clear "at a senior level."
"We support freedom of expression and maintain that societies are strengthened when their citizens are able to voice their opinion," Toner said.