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Witnesses reported that the bodies of the dead migrants in a prison in southern Saudi Arabia were dumped “like garbage.”
Horrifying images have emerged of black African immigrants forced to live in crowded detention centers in Saudi Arabia.
The British newspaper, The Telegraph, published the images on Sunday apparently showing hundreds of men living in overcrowded conditions inside prisons, which Saudi authorities apparently set up to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The photos show row after row of men, stripped to their underwear to deal with the crippling heat, lying on concrete using makeshift pillows made from rolled clothing to support their heads.
In an image that the newspaper decided not to publish, a 16-year-old boy was seen hanging from a window after taking his own life, unable to continue living in the facility.
In another image, two men are seen with bruises on their backs; The result of ferocious attacks by the guards, who also racially abuse them, according to the prisoners.
“It is hell here. They treat us like animals and beat us every day ”, a man is quoted.
The prisoners said they were given meager rations of a piece of bread during the day and rice in the afternoon with insufficient water.
They described widespread illness among the detainees, as toilets flood and sewage comes into contact with their living and dining areas.
Those who die are simply thrown out like “garbage,” the prisoners said.
Tens of thousands of people are said to have been caught in Saudi raids on unauthorized migrants who are then housed in those camps awaiting deportation.
Similar facilities are believed to exist for female prisoners.
The Telegraph report follows one from the Guardian in early August, which described similar conditions at a camp in the western port city of Jeddah.
Prisoners at the Al Shumaisi facility said they had been forced to drink water from the toilets because officials had abandoned them.
They said that several of those incarcerated had medical symptoms consistent with coronavirus infection, but there was no way to know for sure, as those who are ill are not being cared for.
As with those quoted by the Telegraph, the prisoners said they were also given inadequate rations, which included a piece of bread and a serving of rice.
African migrants are being ‘allowed to die’ in Saudi Arabian detention camps to stop the spread of COVID-19. The inmates are suicidal and have declining mental health, as one reported that “he would kill himself if there was no escape.” #BlacklivesStillMatter#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/lJfwony4Ip
– الویش (@AlvishAamir) August 30, 2020
Migrant abuse
Riyadh has stepped up its efforts to arrest migrants amid a push to end its dependence on foreign workers and supposedly stop the spread of Covid-19.
But even before these recent cases came to light, the country has faced accusations of inhumane treatment of migrants.
More than 12 million migrant workers live in Saudi Arabia, holding positions in various industries, but most take unskilled and service jobs that ordinary Saudis are unwilling to do.
A ‘sponsorship’ system known as ‘kafala’ leaves workers exposed to exploitation and abuse by linking their residence in the country to a specific employer, who has power over the employee’s right to leave the country and move to another. employer.
Human Rights Watch says: “Domestic workers, predominantly women, faced a series of abuses that included overwork, forced confinement, non-payment of wages, food deprivation, and psychological, physical and sexual abuse without holding their authorities accountable. employers ”.
Saudi efforts to combat illegal employment have focused more on workers than those who employ them.
This has led to the arrest of hundreds of thousands of people, with more than half a million illegal residents approved for deportation by authorities.
Source: TRT World
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