A number of Saudi nationals
residing in Syria said they were tortured by security forces in the
strife-stricken country, Saudi daily Okaz reported
on Friday.
According to the daily, the
Saudi Embassy in Jordan finalized the procedure of evacuating Saudi families
residing in Syria to “save their lives.”
“[The embassy’s work] comes
amid orders from Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal to facilitate procedures
for the Saudis returning to Saudi Arabia or coming from Syria,” the daily said.
It added that the Saudi
Embassy in Damascus “has finalized similar cases where Saudis were tortured by
Syrian regime forces because of their nationality.”
One of the young Saudi men
who was detained and tortured in Homs told Okaz that he
went to Syria to visit his mother when he was arrested.
“Before arresting [me],
they had arrested my brother on allegations related to drugs and weapons. They
assaulted me in prison until I was freed to return [to Saudi Arabia]. My brother
was [also] freed [before me],” he said.
Syria has witnessed
anti-regime protests since mid-March. The United Nations estimates that more
than 6,000 people have been killed in the regime’s crackdown on dissent.
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