JEDDAH, 15 April 2006 — There is no discriminatory treatment of prisoners in Saudi jails where inmates belong to a number of nationalities, according to Maj. Gen. Ahmad Al-Zahrani, director general of prisons in Jeddah.
“The instructions regarding the treatment of prisoners are very clear: that there should be no discrimination between Saudi and non-Saudi prisoners,” said Al-Zahrani in an interview with Arab News.
The major difference between Saudi and non-Saudi inmates is that foreign inmates are deported after the completion of their prison terms.
Foreign inmates who fall sick receive treatment, like their Saudi counterparts, at the jail clinic or at specialist hospitals outside depending on the seriousness of each case.
“They are first examined by doctors at the prison clinic. If the illness is serious they are sent to specialist hospitals,” Al-Zahrani said, adding that a new specialist hospital is being built on the premises of Briman Prison.
“The prison inmates are guaranteed their human rights, but the rights of one prisoner cannot be allowed to infringe upon the rights of another. Any violation of prison regulations is viewed seriously and deterrent punishments are meted out to violators.”
