Watchdog: Palestinian and Jordanian detainees in Saudi Arabia subjected to torture

Geneva (QNN)- Euro-Med Monitor For Human Rights on Sunday stated that Palestinian and Jordanian detainees in Saudi jails were subjected to serious violations and harsh conditions of detention.

A report by the watchdog showcased shocking testimonies by former detainees and families of current detainees.

In one testimony, a former detainee who preferred not to reveal his name for safety, said “The prison administration used to intently disable the ventilation in the prison rooms, which are accumulated with prisoners beyond their capacity. We were only allowed to be exposed to sunlight once a month for just ten minutes.”

The former detainee, who was detained for about 12 months in Al Haeer prison, confirmed that he had been subjected to torture. He said: “I moved between different sections designated for torture inside the prison, and I also met detainees who told me that they had been beaten, suspended, electrocuted, and deprived of seeing light for months, although some of them were heart patients or have chronic diseases.”

The testimonies of the families of Palestinian doctor Muhammad al-Khudari, 83, and the Jordanian journalist Abd al-Rahman Farhana, 64 indicated that the health condition of both has recently deteriorated significantly as the prison administration deliberately neglect their conditions.

Abdul Majid Al-Khodari, brother of Hamas’ leader Muhammad Al-Khodari, told Euro-Med Monitor about his brother’s health condition in Asir prison: “My brother Muhammad suffers from prostate cancer and needs medical and health care and follow-up that is not available in the medical clinics in Saudi prisons. His condition worsened, especially in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic due to medical negligence and lack of follow-up. My brother now has difficulties to walk, which made him dependent on a wheelchair. Some of his teeth fell out, and he cannot move his right hand”.

More than 60 Palestinians and Jordanians residing in the Kingdom were arrested by the Saudi state security apparatus, under the pretext of financially supporting Palestinian factions.

The detainees, who are students, academics, businessmen and workers in relief institutions, have been isolated from the outside world for several months, their bank accounts have been frozen, and their money confiscated, according to the Euro-Med Monitor.

The watchdog called on the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to urgently intervene to uncover the fate of the detainees, examine the conditions and reasons for their detention, and investigate their exposure to serious violations inside prisons.