RIYADH, 27 October — A special UN human rights envoy currently on an official tour of Saudi Arabia visited the Arab Academy for Security Sciences here yesterday after inspecting a number of Saudi jails.
Dato Param Cumaraswamy, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, was briefed at the academy about its training programs for Arab justice, security and law enforcement agencies.
On Thursday and Friday, Cumaraswamy inspected a number of jails and courts in the capital and visited a number of British nationals held in the Kingdom on charges of alcohol smuggling and involvement in a series of bomb blasts.
According to Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harithy, director of the prisons, there are about 15,000 to 20,000 prisoners in the Kingdom. “This is not a big number compared to the Kingdom’s population,” he told a press conference.
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Dr. Ali Al-Namlah spoke about the government’s efforts to care for prisoners, freed prisoners and their families. The Cabinet has set up a special committee for this purpose.
Cumaraswamy ends his week-long visit to Saudi Arabia today after meeting with Interior Minister Prince Naif.
