Torture (forced nudity), Al-Damen in the Saudi General
Directorate of Investigation’s prison
By European
Saudi Society for Human Rights
08/02/2014
Nine days away from the third anniversary
since the start of the peaceful protests in the eastern province in Saudi. The
17th of February of 2011 is considered to be the actual launch where
protests initially demanded release of three prisoners, the activists Ramzi
Al-Jamal; Mohammed Al-Lubad and Munir Al-Jassas [1]
, these demands escalated and even broaden but overall the main demand is the
release of 9 prisoners [2]
spent 6522 days as the date of this report, specifically since 1996.
The government reaction to these demands
was to (arrest 976 people, where 241 are still under arrest) [3]
between investigation, trial and spending the duration. People from various fields
were arrested included clerks, academics and activists in different fields as human
rights; social; cultural, literal and artistic. Also, due to the random arrest,
many people have been arrested, even though they are not activists nor linked
to any activity related to the legitimate demands. Furthermore, in term of the
government reaction, killing 18 years old Ahmed Ali Al-Mslab in 05/09/2013 [4]
and 78 [5]
recoreded injuries caused by the Saudi force’s live ammunition show and
represent the most prominent image of excessive force againest public
demands, in addition to the practice of torture on detainees in prison [6]
, unfair trials, harsh sentences up to 30 years, firing from jobs and banned
from traveling without specifying a period, at a time where security presence by
heavy machinery and armored checkpoints that surround the province of Qatif
causing instability and rising harassment that have nothing to do with the
security operation’s procedure.
Arbitrary
arrest:
 |
| Mohammed Al-Damen, an example of the humiliatiog form of torture in the Saudi of Saudi intelligence’s prisons |
From the King Fahd Causeway,
bridging Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, the 24 years old Mohammed Al-Damen, with his
wife, was arrested on his way to Bahrain on Tuesday 06/04/2013. On the first
border checkpoint, the border officer asked Al-Damen to check with the office
due to an error in his ID, while his wife was waiting in the car. Al-Damen was
supprisingly told that he is wanted to the Saudi security and he is under
arrest, and then he was asked to contact anybody to drive his wife back where
one of his family members arrived after his wife spent four hours waiting by herself.
Al-Damen’s family spent 10 days having no clue where he was, unitll finding out
by chance that he was in the General Directorate of Investigate’s prison in
Dammam, after a month and 17 days Al-Damen was transferred to a group inmates
room where also his family was allowed visit for the first time.
Torture and Health Condition:
Al-Damen spent 298 days until the
date of this report, where he experienced torture in the first moments of his arrival,
specifically, 8 officers severely fist-punched, kicked, and verbally insulted
with racial, sectarian and degrading words.
Al-Damen suffered from torturing
where it is common practice in the General Directorate of Investigate’s prison,
but additionally this time, Al-Damen was forced to be nude during torture,
which is somehow uncommon and also violates and prohibited the Islamic sharia,
which is mentioned 19 times in the fundamental system of government of Saudi
Arabia, as well as such an act violates the custom and disgracing this
behavior.
Al-Damen was hung up, A form of torture in which the hands are tied behind a person's back and
they are lifted off the ground by a rope tied to their wrists, for two
days with no food and suffering from other forms cruelty and severe torture. As
he hung up, Al-Damen was forced to make a phone call to his family in such a
bad psychological condition and also was initially threatened not to mention anything
about torture. He was tortured to the point where he was disallowed from using the
toilet, forcing him involuntarily to dispose in himself while he was hung up.
As a result, the torture was taken
into another level where he was taken to another room and was electrocuted in
the bottom of his feet, shoulders and other parts of the body plus being
punched and kicked. He was forced to confess participating in protests and
using weapons, consequently, Al-Damen confessed, although he has neither
protested nor used weapons.
Due to this long detention and
torture, Al-Damen suffered:
Psychologically: he was in bad condition,
especially during the torturing period, where he started talking to himself in
a solitary confinement, he later was given medications.
Physically: torture left visible
marks caused by handcuffs and leg cuff, where he was sent to the prison
hospital more than once.
Financially: he was the financial
source for his family, they are living in a rented apartment. He is the only
male with two other female siblings, his mother is unable to work due to health
issues. Beside supporting his family, Al-Damen is responsible for a car payment
and his marriage loan.
Sometimes an amount of $534=2002 SR
is given, but it is not enough to cover his family needs plus it is not given every
single month. Al-Damen wrote several letters to prison administration asking
them to either pay his financial obligations or release him so he can deal with
it, but no answer.
Al-Damen is still exposed to
various violations now and then. Recently, his family was disallowed to visit
for a period of two months, where Al-Damen then started a hunger strike lasted
for two weeks and successfully re-allowed family visit. The prison administration
justified their act by stating that the kids with the family were too noisy.
During the period of two months, Al-Damen was on several investigation session again,
but this time the questions were not related to his arrest nor the chargers.
Trial:
After nearly two weeks since his
arrest, Al-Damen was sent to the
Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh to verify his declaration of guilt, which
was forced confessions under torture,
and then sent back to the Dammam’s prison where he was put in a solitary
confinement again to complete a period of a month and 17 days as above, his
family was allowed to visit after many attempts. After more than 8 months since
the arrest, Al-Damen was transferred to Riyadh recently, where will be held the
first meeting on 13/02/2014.
Violations:
What happened to Al-Damen
represents clear violations of many domestic laws (the prison system and
detention issued 1978 –Law of Criminal Procedure issued 2013...), and
international treaties (Convention against Torture - Arab Charter Human rights...),
where many articles clearly condemn and opposes such a behavior used by
officials in prison, investigations and trial.
Torture is prohibited in all forms
according to domestic and international laws and statements obtained under
torture is illegal, hence, using such a statement in court is illegal.
We in the European Saudi Society for Human Rights (ESSHR) demand the immediate release
of Al-Damen, and ensure his physical and psychological integrity, we also call
in accordance with the recognized law for an immediate, fair and comprehensive investigation
about torture and violations of Al-Damen’s case. Also ensuring that he gets the
necessary healthcare fully paid by the government since it caused by the
unlawful torture and violations during the arrest period and allowing Al-Damen’s
family to have a lawyer immediately.
SSHR calls the local and
international human rights organizations for an urgent intervention and
immediate stop to the arbitrary arrests and the torture by Saudi authorities,
which taken against prisoners of conscience, and human rights activists.
[1] Saudi
authorities release three of the Shiite detainees, Rasid News Network http://www.rasid.com/?act=artc&id=42965
[2] Forgotten
Prisoners, a report by Rasid News Network https://www.rasid.com/?act=artc&id=1921
[3] List
of prisoners of Qatif and Ahsa, a report by Center for Justice and Human
Rights, 03/02/2014
[4] The
Martyr young Ahmad Almslab and the security mission on a number of houses of
the list of twenty-three, a report by the European Society for Human Rights
Arabia http://esshright.blogspot.de/2013/09/blog-post.html
[5] List
detainees Qatif and Ahsa, a report by Al Adala Center for Human Rights,
03/02/2014
[6] The
European Saudi Society for Human Rights covered several cases of tortures
including:
More than 269 days of torture and arbitrary detention
of a young Salman http://esshright.blogspot.de/2013/10/269-02102013-06012013-01101993.html
Tortured him until strangled, (Al-Qallaf) in the prisons
of Saudi intelligence http://esshright.blogspot.de/2013/11/15112013-23091997-4-1.html
