JAZAN: A Saudi citizen has been keeping his wife and two sons “jailed” in his old home in the town of Al-Dair in Jazan for over 20 years, because they are mentally ill, Arabic daily Al-Jazirah reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper said the man, who has not been identified, was not convinced by the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment and feared his wife and sons might pose a danger to neighbors if he set them free.
According to the daily, the man had turned his entire house into a prison cell and was adamant in his refusal to refer them to a psychologist. “The medicine that would be prescribed by the psychiatrist might turn them all nuts,” he said. The newspaper said the jailed people were scared when they saw its reporters because they were not used to seeing people. The father told reporters that since his sons were born he had been cooking for the family because he feared his wife might hurt herself if she entered the kitchen. “I do not know for how long this situation will continue. Many people visited me promising help but they did not come again,” he said.
