A number of Saudis have been detained unlawfully in Syria according to their families, say the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR). They were arrested because they are Saudis and not because of any criminal acts, it has been claimed, reported Al-Watan newspaper Wednesday. Dr. Mufleh Al-Qahtani, president of the rights watchdog, said the families told it they fear for the safety of their relatives, especially since they do not know where they are being held and because of the ongoing violence in that country. Al-Qahtani said the NSHR has conflicting information about the detentions. There are indications that some Saudis are being held in connection with criminal cases while some people are saying there might be “other factors” behind their arrest. “Unfortunately some Saudis and GCC nationals have been arrested because of their nationality,” Al-Qahtani said. “The increasing violent assaults on Saudis and GCC nationals [in Syria] indicates it,” he said. He said the NSHR has not received any complaint from the families of those arrested, only expressions of their fears “about the fate of their sons in Syria after the bloody events there”. Al-Qahtani said the NSHR is following up on the prisoners with the Saudi Embassy in Syria. He admitted that it is not known where many of the prisoners are being held. “Even the embassy is having difficulty locating them. Syrian prisons are under the jurisdiction of different bodies.” The NSHR called on the Syrian authorities to either charge the Saudis or release them. In addition, the embassy should be informed about their locations. Some of the families have alleged that the Saudi prisoners are being treated poorly in Syrian prisons, the NSHR said.
