The Makkah branch of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is following up on a complaint submitted by a female citizen seeking the release of seven members of her family who were detained recently. According to sources, among those detained were the woman's mother, in her seventies, and her two sisters, who are currently staying at a women's prison, in addition to her brother and her sister's husband.

In the complaint, the woman claimed that another sister, as well as one of her nieces, were referred to the girls' care shelter in the city.

The family members were arrested over a dispute involving their neighbors in a public place in the Askalan village, near Makkah. The plaintiff escaped the scene of the brawl with her brother and the two have been hiding within the premises of the Grand Mosque to avoid the threats of neighbors in case they returned home.

The complainant said that her family, composed of seven members, moved to Askalan to live there following the death of the father, where they managed to buy a piece of land and build a small house.

After a while, they were surprised of the neighbors' reaction, who demanded that they leave the house, claiming that the land on which the house is located on, belongs to them. When the family refused to move, they were subjected to daily harassment, including stone throwing, which broke their windows several times.

The plaintiff said she filed several complaints with the police in Askalan in a bid to find some sort of understanding with the neighbors, to no avail.

"Last Saturday my family and I went out to a picnic in a mountainous area, where most residents of the village go as well. We were surprised when our female neighbor, her husband and children started to beat and hit us in front of other picnickers and visitors, who called police," the plaintiff said.

Police began investigating the incident and detained some members of the two families, while the injured were moved to the medical center in Askalan, and the Khulais Hospital in the region.

"But after medical treatment", she added, "My mother and sisters were arrested and taken to the women's prison, while the other family members were released, except two of them."

She said that she filed a complaint with the Makkah governorate and the NSHR branch in Makkah, demanding the release of her family members, on the grounds that they were the victims of the aggression.

A knowledgeable source at NSHR said the civic body will follow up on the complaint with the authorities concerned.