It was against the law. They prohibited the research of one century and that group made it his mission to do just that. They put their own thirst of knowledge over the law, they paid the the price. It's not like they were ignorant on what doing so entailed as that why they were hiding in the first place.
As for if they should be hidden or not I consider relative peace and the disparition of what happen 800 years in the past to outweigh the chaos that will come and the resurrection of mass destruction weapon. I'm not that attach to so far back in the past. But even if you were to consider that important, either present a good case to the WG on why you should be able to research it or be ready to face the consequences. No one should be above the law.
I think you are misunderstanding me. I am saying Oharans were right in what they were doing.
Not that the government was wrong in seeing them as criminals. They were criminals. But that doesn't make them wrong.
Particular research topics have been banned many a times in the history.
Doesn't mean that the people who explore those territories are inherently doing something bad.
Ohara was a situation where both parties were right in their own regard.