The statement said the victim had been one of the two people that residents had complained about for harassing girls in front of a local school. An old man reportedly complained to the Haia that two men who were harassing his daughter beat him with a stick when he confronted the duo. As Haia members approached them, the two escaped on foot but the victim was arrested and handed over to the police.
The Haia statement further claimed that parents of the two urged Haia not to implement punishment but rather give them a verbal warning. Upon the parents’ request, Haia authorities transferred them to the Haia center. The victim looked tired upon arrival and he told authorities that he was suffering from asthma. The Haia offered to transfer him to the hospital but he refused and left with his friend's father without any course of action inside the center.
The statement, however, did not specify the date and locations of the event. The family of the victim lodged a complaint at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR). An official spokesperson from NSHR confirmed the report saying further investigation has been launched and corrective measures would be taken.
Hassan’s family has refused to receive the body until the autopsy report reaches a conclusion and they find out the truth behind the death.
The victim’s mother read about the death in Al Watan daily.
In an earlier report, the victim’s father Nabeel Humeid said: “Hassan had been under surveillance of the Haia during recreational activities and was often abused publicly by the Haia.” He added that Haia members arrested Hassan and took him to Ahad Rafidah police station after which he was taken to a nearby barbershop for a haircut. Then, after about two hours in the local police station, “my son was taken to the Haia office, where he was beaten up mercilessly.”
Later, he said, the office contacted one of his friends telling him to take Hassan home. However, the friend found him in a coma and took him to the hospital, accompanied by a laborer at the office. “When I reached the hospital, I was shocked to see my son’s critical condition. He had cerebral concussion due to severe internal bleeding and total paralysis.” This, he said, was the result of assault and torture. “I desperately tried to get him to a private hospital or another government hospital so that his life could be saved, but to no avail.”
He was later taken to the intensive care unit of Khamis Mushayt hospital, where he died a week later.
Saeed bin Majri, governor of Ahad Rafidah, reportedly confirmed that the two security men, including the Haia member, chased Hassan. However, he also said: “The young man’s falling from a four-meter high wall while attempting to escape might have given him serious head injuries, or he may have had a fatal stroke due to panic and fright.”
Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled has ordered an investigation into the alleged involvement of two policemen in the death.
