Police had arrested the man in Makkah three times for committing the same crime and had taken an undertaking from him that he would not repeat the crime again. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal had approved the man’s release on bail three months ago.

The NSHR is now following up the case after a complaint it had received from the prisoner’s son who said somebody was delaying his father’s release. The son said the authorities had asked him to bring two persons to bail out his father.

“We brought two persons in accordance with their demand but they did not accept them. Then they asked us to bring a letter from the umda (district chief). After that they asked for a guarantee letter from his establishment attested by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” the son said in his complaint. “This way they have been delaying the release of my father, citing one reason or another. When the holy month of Ramadan came, we decided to approach the NSHR on the advice of many individuals,” the son said and called for the quick release of his old father.

The NSHR has authorized an official to visit the prisoner to know his condition and find out if the son’s complaint is true. The society said it would try to win the release of the man on the basis of the governor’s order if there were no legal obstacles.
 

In a related development, Jazan Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Nasser has ordered a committee to probe the death of five Ethiopians in the main deportation center of the region and find out the reasons for their death.

Preliminary investigation carried out by the Jazan police found that the detainees died of suffocation as a result of overcrowding inside the deportation cell.

Capt. Abdul Rahman Al-Zahrani, acting spokesman of Jazan police, confirmed the death of five Ethiopians. “They died natural death due to suffocation and we are continuing our investigation,” he said. The Health Department in Jazan had taken samples from detainees and water and foodstuffs in order to check whether the deaths were caused by any diseases. The department urged the Passport authorities to fulfill health conditions at the deportation cell.

The deportation cell receives a large number of overstayers everyday, mostly Yemenis and Ethiopians. The deaths among the detainees have frightened other inmates, especially after 10 of them have been taken to hospital for treatment.

Brig. Dhafir Al-Yami, acting police director in Jazan, refuted allegations that the deportation cell was unhygienic. “The deportation cell operates in a new building and we distribute food among the detainees on time,” he said. Meanwhile, a field health clinic has been set up at the deportation center.

In a previous incident, six African overstayers died while police were transporting 200 overstayers from Jazan to Jeddah. Their bodies were found in various locations between Jeddah and Al-Leeth.

Apparently, six of them jumped from the moving buses during the journey to Jeddah. Highway police found their bodies at various places between Al-Leeth and Jeddah.

Police said that all six were African overstayers who had originally been put on four Passport Department buses in Jazan. The police suspect the dead overstayers may have jumped out of the buses in an attempt to avoid deportation.