Amnesty International denounces the fate of Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia. According to the NGO, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian migrants have been there ” arbitrarily detained ” In the conditions ” abominable “, sometimes ” tortured “, then finally fired from” strength in Ethiopia.
With our regional correspondent, Florence Morice
According to Amnesty International, 30,000 Ethiopian migrants are currently being held in detention centers in Saudi Arabia under “ inhuman “. Former detainees quoted by the NGO claim to have been ” beaten and tortured in these centres, sometimes with the help of cables ” and of ” metal sticks “.
One of the witnesses reports having had to share with 200 detainees a cell containing only 64 beds, forcing them to sleep on the floor in turn. Other witnesses quoted by the NGO recount having been deprived of water, food and medical care: several cases of death have been reported, as a result of beatings or refusal of access to care.
Upon their return to Ethiopia, a significant number » former prisoners suffer from respiratory and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, reports Amnesty International citing humanitarian sources.
Because despite the conflict ravaging Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia is pursuing a vast campaign to repatriate these refugees to their country. Even if some of these migrants accept to be repatriated, for Amnesty International, it is a question of ” forced returns because they are guided by the need to escape the conditions of detention imposed on them.
➡️ Detention guards did not distribute soap or sanitizers to maintain personal hygiene & denied all detainees adequate medical attention for skin and respiratory illnesses. 2 former detainees said they were forced to shave their heads by burning their hair when they had lice. pic.twitter.com/OQDbpL01aC
— Amnesty MENA (@AmnestyMENA) December 18, 2022
Amnesty finally affirms that ” unaccompanied minors and pregnant women » are among those expelled ” of strength in Ethiopia, as well as many Tigrayans. In January 2022, Human Rights Watch notably alerted to the fate reserved for these Tigrayans upon their return to their country, and asked Saudi Arabia to grant them access to asylum procedures as part of its duty to protect.
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