Saudi Arabia arrests, tortures scores of Palestinians

Scores of Palestinians living in Saudi Arabia have been arrested and tortured over their participation in charitable activities, Twitter account Prisoners of Conscience revealed yesterday.

The group, which reports on political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, released a series of tweets including details of the detentions and the circumstances surrounding them.

According to the tweets, Saudi intelligence services committed rights abuses and tortured the Palestinian prisoners during and after their arrest, mainly those working with businessmen Osama and Hisham Filali, Mohamed Bin Mahfouth, Warees Bin Mahfouth and Saleh Abu Ghosh.

Saudi security forces stormed the houses of the Palestinians at night, locked women and children in one room and confiscated electronic devices before arresting them.

Some 150 people have been arrested on the grounds of their charitable work, including businessmen and 40 Palestinians in Jeddah alone.

The tweets noted that all of the prisoners are prevented from contacting their families. Some are entering their second year in detention. “Families of some prisoners do not know anything about them even during Ramadan and the Eid,” the group said.

READ: Saudi Arabia begins new wave of arrests targeting human rights activists

During the past months, Saudi security services carried out a wide and secret arrest campaign against Palestinians in the kingdom.  The Palestinian embassy in Riyadh has done to support those affected.

Saudi Arabia has arrested thousands of activists, intellectuals, clerics, journalists and businessmen over the past two years in an attempt to eliminate any possible opposition to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.