Saudi nationals who are being held captive in Iraq are being subjected to torture using sharp objects, such as razorblades and shards of glass, and are being beaten, sources said.

Iraqi prison guards allegedly supply prisoners belonging tp other sects with these objects to use them against Saudi prisoners.

"Saudi nationals in the Al-Nasiriyah prison, around 450 km south of Baghdad, are routinely beaten up by authorities and other inmates," said Thamer Al-Balheed, chairman of a Saudi committee for detainees in Iraq.

These prisoners were recently transferred to the Al-Nasiriyah prison after the conflict in Iraq intensified.

Sectarian tension is rife in this area and Watheq Al-Battat, a Shiite leader who launched a missile toward the Saudi border a month ago, lives here.

“Iraqi security forces entered a prison and beat up Saudi prisoners,” said Al-Balheed in a statement.

“Prison guards encourage other prisoners to assault prisoners verbally and physically just because they are Saudi,” he said.

He said 17 prisoners in Sosa prison have been included in the amnesty, which was issued by the Iraqi government, but the government has since refused to release them and has pressured the Saudi government to meet political demands in return for their release.

“Saudi prisoners in Al-Nasiriyah prison are being treated inhumanely,” he said.

Al-Balheed accused the Iraqi government of hindering the prisoner exchange deal by refusing to send home Saudi prisoners.