Since the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic in the world, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated that the measures it has taken to combat the pandemic and limit its spread have been based on a human rights-based approach and in compliance with the state’s international obligations, which is in stark contrast to what is happening in reality.
As regards the actual state of the pandemic in Saudi prisons, the wife of the human rights defender Muhammad al-Qahtani, Maha al-Qahtani, indicated in a tweet that her husband had been infected with the virus. Al-Qahtani confirmed that, since 7 April 2021, her husband has been deprived of his right to communicate with his family, amidst an official refusal to respond to the family. “We do not know anything about my husband #Muhammad_ Al-Qahtani nor about his health condition due to his denial of communication with us, and the worrying matter is the suspicious silence and the failure of the state officials to respond to us.” Al-Qahtani indicated that the family holds the prison administration and State Security responsible of any medical negligence that may occur.
The infection of Al-Qahtani, who was arrested in June 2012 and is serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges related to his human rights activities, coincided with news of the spread of the virus in an entire wing of prisoners of conscience in al-Ha’er Prison. Although the most important measures adopted to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus are social distancing and personal hygiene, the Saudi government has not taken any serious steps to improve the situation of prisons, which are overcrowded with a large number of prisoners in narrow spaces – especially prisoners of conscience.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) believes that the reality of the poor health care in al-Ha’er prison reflects the hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia’s claims before the Human Rights Council at its 46th session, that the measures taken by the government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic are in compliance with human rights.
Despite the United Nations warnings since the start of the pandemic to apply preventive measures in accordance with human rights and without discrimination, Saudi Arabia continues to disregard the rights of prisoners, especially in overcrowded prisons that represent an easy environment for the transmission of the virus
ESOHR expresses its concern about the health situation in Saudi prisons, especially as information confirms that prisons are still overcrowded, and in many cases, there are not enough beds to accommodate prisoners. In addition, the organization’s documentation showed the detainees continued to be subjected to various types of ill-treatment and torture, including the denial of necessary health care, as Al-Qahtani had participated with other detainees in a hunger strike in March due to their exposure to abuse, neglect, and denial of communication with families.
The organization believes that those arrested on charges related to expressing opinion represent a type of person that should not be imprisoned in the first place and represents no threat to Saudi society. Therefore, they must be released immediately and unconditionally, as has been called for by the High Commissioner of the Human Rights Council in her statement the beginning of the spread of the Corona pandemic.
ESOHR holds the Saudi government responsible for the health and safety of al-Qahtani, prisoners of conscience, and all detainees, and stresses the importance of transparency in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic file, in a way that guarantees families the right to communicate and check on the health of their detained members. The organization stresses the importance of effectively applying preventive measures and ensuring care and treatment in prisons without discrimination, especially in these exceptional circumstances.