“Amnesty”: Ethiopian immigrants being “tortured” in Saudi Arabia (video)

“Since last March, the Houthi authorities have expelled thousands of Ethiopian migrant workers and their families to Saudi Arabia due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus,” the organization said in a report published on its website.

She added that the Saudi authorities “arrested the migrants upon their arrival in the Kingdom, confiscated their possessions, and beat them in some cases.”

The organization added that “the majority of the Ethiopians were transferred to the (Al-Dayer) detention center, and from there they were transferred to the Jizan Central Prison, and then some of them were transferred to prisons in Jeddah and Makkah for more than 5 months in harsh conditions.”

And she continued, “All those interviewed said that they were subjected to terrible abuse from the first moment of their arrest by the Saudi authorities.”

The organization pointed out that “the conditions in which they live in filthy, overcrowded cells surrounded by death and disease are so miserable that at least two of them attempted suicide.”

She quoted one of the inmates as saying, “This is hell. I have never seen anything like this throughout my life … There are no toilets, and we have to urinate on the floor, not far from where we sleep.”

All the detainees said, according to the organization’s report, that “diseases have spread in prisons, and most of them have dermatitis, diarrhea, and yellow fever.”

The organization added, “Pregnant women, infants, and young children are also being held in these same horrific conditions.”

It added, “It has documented three adult deaths in custody, based on consistent eyewitness testimony.”

She indicated that other detainees told her “there are at least four other deaths.”

The organization pointed out that “the outbreak of the disease, and the lack of food, water and health care is an indication that the real number of deaths could be much higher.”

It urged the Saudi authorities “to immediately release all arbitrarily detained migrants, put an end to torture and other ill-treatment, and ensure that they have adequate food, water and sanitation, health care, place of residence, and clothes.”

It also called for “an investigation into the allegations of ill-treatment of detainees, and that those responsible be held accountable.”

In the conclusion of its report, the organization called on the Ethiopian and Saudi authorities to “work together to ensure the possibility of the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Ethiopian citizens.”

The Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on what the international organization included in this report.

Despite the restrictions imposed on travel due to the outbreak of Corona, at least 34,000 Ethiopian immigrants were able to return to their homes from around the world during the period from April 2020 to September 2020, and among them were 3998 people who returned from Saudi Arabia.