Palestinian detainees in Saudi prisons face tragic conditions

RIYADH, Oct. 30 (YPA) – The “Sanad” Organization for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia has confirmed that dozens of Palestinian detainees in Saudi prisons face tragic conditions as they are subjected to severe torture in prison.

The organization indicated in its report that it had obtained exclusive documents revealing the names of a number of Palestinian detainees in Saudi Arabia, the judicial rulings they were subjected to, in addition to the charges brought against them. It also revealed that they were subjected to severe torture inside the “Shaar” prison in Abha.

The report issued by Sanad revealed 38 detainees who were subjected to arrest starting in 2018 and ending in April 2019. They were sentenced to prison sentences that varied between 22 years and 3 years. The report did not address detainees who were released after the expiration of their sentences or under international pressure.

The report also revealed eight other detainees who were proven innocent by the court, but the Saudi authorities did not release them, and they are still in detention, in addition to other detainees whose sentences have ended, but Saudi Arabia did not release them. The report explained that the charges against them included belonging to the Palestinian Hamas.

The charges also include “the defendants’ confessions, which were distorted to contradict what the detainees said in prison, and the charges include circulating clips and pictures of the Palestinian resistance and the possession of Hamas slogans, as well as the possession of the book The Illustrated History of Palestine by Tariq Al-Suwaidan, books by Dr. Al-Qaradawi, and maps of the city of Palestine,” according to the report.

The report indicated that all Palestinian detainees were transferred to “Shaar” prison in the Abha region in order to further torture and harass them.

Saudi Arabia prohibits activities and events in support of the Palestinian cause and prohibits everything related to resistance factions, especially the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas.