According to Al-Alam News, Major Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, during a visit to the city of Buraidah, the largest city in Al-Qassim province said: “the numbers of detainees in [our] prisons are about 2772 people, 2221 of them are Saudi, and 551 prisoners are from 41 Arabs and non-Arabs countries.
Saudi Human Rights Commission had put the number of prisoners in the security forces jails at about 4400 in 2011.
This is while the other human right bodies put the number of detainees at about 30 thousand people. But the officials deny that there are any political prisoners in Saudi Jails.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior referred to 178 people arrested in protests in Al-Qatif and said: “104 people that were detained and were released, once more committed criminal behavior and were subsequently arrested again. We are currently investigating about 274 people.
Saudi police announced last week that 176 people were freed, including 51 women, they had been arrested in Buraidah, protesting the faith of the political prisoners in Saudi Jails.
MH/MR
MNA
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Publish Date: 9 March 2013 - 10:40
TEHRAN, March 9 (MNA) – A senior Saudi official acknowledged that 2772 prisoners are living in the Saudi Arabians jails, while human right organizations put that number around 30,000 people.