ʽUlaysha Prison
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ʽUlaysha Prison (also ''ʽUlaisha'', ''Alisha'', ''Olisha'', ) is a prison in
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
run by the
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
n
secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...
agency
Mabahith The General Directorate of Investigations (), commonly known simply as the Mabahith, is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence. The officers of the ...
for
arbitrary detention Arbitrary arrest and detention is the arrest and detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law or order. ...
. During the
2011 Saudi Arabian protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
, "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia",
Khaled al-Johani Khaled al-Johani (also ''al-Jehani'', Arabic: خالد الجهني, born 23 August 1971) is a teacher of religious instruction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was imprisoned, without charge or trial for nearly one year, at ʽUlaysha Prison for hav ...
, was held in 'Ulaysha Prison and it is suspected that several founding members of the
Umma Islamic Party The Umma Islamic Party () is a political party in Saudi Arabia that was formed on 10 February 2011 in response to the Arab Spring. Formed by a collective of opposition members including Islamists and intellectuals, the party is pro-reform and de ...
are being held there.


Prisoners

On 17 March 2004,
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
stated that at least five people, mostly academics, had been held incommunicado for two days in ʽUlaysha Prison over criticising a government body, the National Commission for Human Rights, and planning to create their own human rights organisation.


Prisoners held arbitrarily

The UN
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) is a body of independent human rights experts that investigate cases of arbitrary arrest and detention. Arbitrary arrest and detention is the imprisonment or detainment of an individual, by a State, ...
complained to Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007 about the
arbitrary arrest and detention Arbitrary arrest and detention is the arrest and detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law or order. ...
of Faiz bin Abdelmohsen Al Qaid, who had been held in ʽUlaysha Prison since 12 October 2005 because he had given information to the Arab Commission for Human Rights and other organisations about
human rights in Saudi Arabia Human rights in Saudi Arabia are a topic of concern and controversy. Known for its executions of political protesters and opponents, the government of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been accused of and denounced by various intern ...
and Saudi Arabian prisons. The following year, the Working Group complained to Saudi authorities about the arbitrary arrest and detention of Abdel Rahman Samara, a
Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
, who was held in ʽUlaysha Prison for five and a half months before being transferred to al-Ha'ir Prison. The Working Group said that holding Samara "incommunicado, without access to a lawyer and without being brought to justice" constituted a violation of Article 9 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...
. Bahraini citizen Khalil ʽAbdul Rahman ʽAbdul Karim al-Janahi was held in ʽUlaysha Prison for at least 4 months for an unknown reason, starting 26 April 2007, without access to lawyers and without a trial. In November 2008 he was transferred from the Saudi prison system to the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, where he was detained without charge or trial until 11 June 2009, shortly after an Amnesty International appeal for his release. For the first four months in ʽUlaysha Prison, Janahi was held in solitary confinement, handcuffed, in a one square metre cell, and had no contact with his family. Riyadh University professor Dr Bachr al-Bachr, described by the support group for uncharged prisoners Adala as "a peaceful advocate of political change who frequently publicly criticised his government and its policies", was detained on 15 March 2007 by
Mabahith The General Directorate of Investigations (), commonly known simply as the Mabahith, is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence. The officers of the ...
secret police at his home. He was held at ʽUlaysha Prison and
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
d. His family was first allowed access to him after nine months, at which time he stated that he "was being held in a refrigerated underground cell where he was permanently handcuffed and blindfolded."


Political prisoners

Five founding members of the
Umma Islamic Party The Umma Islamic Party () is a political party in Saudi Arabia that was formed on 10 February 2011 in response to the Arab Spring. Formed by a collective of opposition members including Islamists and intellectuals, the party is pro-reform and de ...
, created in 2011, Dr. Ahmad bin Sa'd al-Ghamidi, Professor Sa'ud al-Dughaithir, Shaikh Abd al-ʽAziz al-Wuhaibi, Shaikh Muhammad bin Husain al-Qahtani, Professor Muhammad bin Nasir al-Ghamidi, Walid al-Majid and Professor Abd al-Karim al-Khadhar, were detained on 17 February 2011. HRW stated that the five "appear to have been detained solely for trying to create a party whose professed aims included greater democracy and protection for human rights." Prior to his own arrest, al-Khadhar stated that his colleagues were apparently held in ʽUlaysha Prison.
Khaled al-Johani Khaled al-Johani (also ''al-Jehani'', Arabic: خالد الجهني, born 23 August 1971) is a teacher of religious instruction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was imprisoned, without charge or trial for nearly one year, at ʽUlaysha Prison for hav ...
, who was detained on 11 March 2011 in
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
, a would-be "Day of Rage" during the
2011 Saudi Arabian protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
, after talking about democracy,
freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
,
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
and
justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
to
BBC Arabic Television BBC News Arabic (), formerly BBC Arabic Television, is a television news channel broadcast to the Arab world by the BBC. It was launched on 11 March 2008. It is run by the BBC World Service and funded from the British television licence fee. ...
reporters, has been held since then in ʽUlaysha Prison. He was not allowed contact with his family for the first 58 days of his detention. While al-Johani remained under detention in ʽUlaysha Prison, HRW described him as a "peaceful dissident" and Mohammad al-Qahtani of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association said that al-Johani became known
online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
as "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia", because he appeared to be the only person who publicly protested in Saudi Arabia on 11 March, apart from several hundreds of protestors in
Qatif Qatif Governorate ( ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a list of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Damma ...
,
Hofuf Al-Hofuf ( ', also spelled Hofuf or Hufuf, also known as "Al-Hasa", "Al-Ahsa" or "Al-Hassa") is the major urban city in the Al-Ahsa Governorate in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a population of 729,606 (as of 2022). It is known f ...
and al-Awamiyah.


Conditions of detention

Amnesty International reported the torture allegations of a
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i prisoner arrested in 2002 who stated that he was tortured every three to four days over his first 56 days of detention in the prison. He alleged that techniques used against him included being punched "in the face until blood burst out of ismouth", being beaten all over his body and "on the soles of the feet and legs while islegs were shackled", and "put under the air conditioner for a few hours". He was held at ʽUlaysha for eight months, of which the first 56 days were in a two-metre by one metre size cell. He was then transferred to al-Ha'ir Prison.


See also

*
Human rights in Saudi Arabia Human rights in Saudi Arabia are a topic of concern and controversy. Known for its executions of political protesters and opponents, the government of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been accused of and denounced by various intern ...
* al-Ha'ir Prison


References


External links

* http://www.adalaksa.org/ support website for Saudi Arabian prisoners held without charge or trial {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulaysha Prison Prisons in Saudi Arabia