Protesting detainees at Shumaisy Deportation Center in Riyadh called off their two-day hunger strike Tuesday. The protesters, mostly Indian workers, went on the hunger strike after 50-year-old Shaikh Muhammad Saqib from Azamgarh in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh died in detention Sunday. They said they called off their protest fast after failing to draw attention to the plight of many among them who were afflicted with diseases such as chest infection, fever and chicken pox. Muhammad Ashraf and Shiju, two Indians who spoke to Saudi Gazette by telephone, said they feared it would be “suicidal” to continue their protest fast and further aggravate their problems. Many among the workers have been in detention for months awaiting deportation. Saqib who died Sunday waited eight months for deportation after his arrest for holding an expired Iqama residency permit. He suffered continual weight loss in detention and was reduced to skin and bones by the time he died. Other charges against the workers include absconding from their work place or from their sponsor. One inmate, Tauqeer Ahmed, 22, from the Indian state of Bihar, was arrested for remaining in the Kingdom despite having an exit-only visa stamped on his passport. Ahmed has a chest infection but has received no medical treatment, said Muhammed Ashraf, an inmate, by telephone. “Ahmed's condition is deteriorating as he has started to spit blood with the sputum,” said Ashraf. Another inmate, Muhammad Farooq, 32, from Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, has started behaving abnormally, Ashraf said, “as if he was going to hurt himself.” Siaram, a 60-year-old Indian detainee, needs urgent medical help. He has urinary incontinence, his hands and legs are swollen and he appears to have lost his mind, Ashraf said. “He is handcuffed and confined to the cell's stinking bathroom because of his abnormal health condition.” Five days ago the air-conditioning unit in their overcrowded cell went bust, Ashraf said. The average outdoors temperature in Riyadh is 40°C these days. “Several detainees are suffering from fever, chicken pox and influenza,” Ashraf added, fearing that with more and more arrested people arriving every day, more people could fall ill. Ashraf appealed to the Indian Embassy to take up the matter with the Saudi authorities. The inmates want help to expedite their deportation process. At least send home those detainees who have valid identity papers and air tickets, Ashraf said.
