Sharmahd became associated with the exile opposition group known as the Kingdom Assembly and its media arm Tondar (“Thunder”). His involvement included creating websites and broadcasting services for Tondar, which advocated the restoration of the monarchy and was regarded by the government as a militant organisation. According to his family, Sharmahd denied involvement in violent attacks; they say he was a spokesman/technical service provider rather than operationally conducting attacks. In July 2020, while in Dubai en-route to India, Sharmahd disappeared. Mobile-phone tracking data suggested his movement from Dubai to Al Ain (UAE), then to Oman, and the signal stopped – authorities later claimed he was captured.
He was taken by the authorities (or agents thereof) and held in solitary confinement, often without full access to independent legal counsel or a fair trial process. It raises concerns about the reach of state-actors to abduct or detain dual or foreign nationals abroad, bypassing conventional extradition or legal norms. It highlights the blurred boundaries between activism, journalism, opposition politics as defined by authoritarian states: the government labelled Tondar and Sharmahd’s activity.
