...“These shocking videos shed light on the torture and ill-treatment in Saudi prisons,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Saudi government must take immediate steps to end these abuses and punish those responsible, whatever their rank.”
Beatings and other forms of ill-treatment in Saudi prisons are far more common than the single incident captured in the video. In November, several prisoners at al-Ha’ir prison told Human Rights Watch that guards regularly beat them as punishment for perceived transgressions. One prisoner told Human Rights Watch: “I got into a fight. The guards came and beat us all. They made us lie down and beat us; they broke sticks on our backs.”
Guards often beat prisoners collectively, regardless of who was responsible for the perceived transgression, prisoners said. “Last month, a prisoner had an argument with a guard,” another prisoner told Human Rights Watch. “The guard brought everyone from the wing outside and beat them.”
Several other prisoners said guards had suspended them above the ground for prolonged periods. “If a prisoner complains about anything he is beaten,” said a third prisoner. “They also hang us by handcuffs with our feet suspended...
