The demand to expose what happens inside Saudi prisons continues to grow, mirroring the shocking revelations about the atrocities in the prisons of Syria’s deposed president, Bashar al-Assad, which have gradually come to light since his regime’s collapse.
Widespread outrage erupted following revelations of the horrors and crimes committed by Assad’s regime in Saydnaya Prison, north of Damascus. Syrian opposition forces stormed the infamous prison and freed all detainees on December 8, 2024, after entering the Syrian capital.
These events prompted members of the opposition National Assembly Party and activists on social media platforms to shed light on the conditions inside Saudi prisons, where reports of torture and abuse have sparked widespread alarm.
Saydnaya Prison, often referred to as the “Syrian Bastille,” has been exposed as a site of gruesome torture methods used by the Assad regime against detainees. The infamous “Red Section” below the prison—reserved for Islamist prisoners—was revealed to have multiple underground levels, with thousands of bodies discovered buried beneath.
Former prisoners emerged from Saydnaya with severe physical, mental, and psychological trauma. Inside the prison, investigators found nooses, torture instruments, and detailed records of the inmates, including those executed. Personal photographs of detainees who entered the prison were also discovered.
The Syrian Civil Defense announced that Saydnaya held thousands of innocent detainees, many of whom were believed to have disappeared into secret underground facilities operated by Assad’s regime.
These harrowing accounts have reignited calls on social media to demand transparency regarding the treatment of prisoners in Arab regimes, particularly in Saudi prisons, and to urge the release of political detainees languishing in the kingdom’s detention facilities.
Echoes of Saydnaya in Saudi Prisons
Ahmed Hakami, the spokesperson for the National Assembly Party, reposted a tweet by journalist Malik Al-Rouqi, who announced the discovery of the body of Mazen Hamada in Saydnaya Prison. Hamada, arrested in 2011 and tortured before his release in 2014, later fled to the Netherlands and became a prominent voice for Saydnaya prisoners. Mysteriously returning to Syria in 2020 under unknown threats, Hamada’s remains were found back in Saydnaya.
Hakami commented: “How many Mazen Hamadas are there in Saudi prisons like the notorious Al-Ha’ir or Dhahban prisons, whose horrors people recount with fear?” He added, “I am amazed that journalists like Malik do not investigate the thousands of political detainees in Saudi prisons, many of whom have died under these conditions. May God have mercy on Mazen, and soon, just as Saydnaya was liberated, we will liberate Al-Ha’ir and Dhahban and free our detainees.”
Hakami also shared a video showing the assault of orphaned girls in the Khamees Mushait Orphanage in Asir Province by Saudi security forces, who were called to suppress the girls’ demands for their rights on August 31, 2022. He commented, “This is how Saudi authorities treat orphaned girls—what then must be happening in their prisons?”
He criticized authoritarian regimes for imprisoning anyone who criticizes, complains, or even calls for reform—let alone those demanding an end to tyranny. Hakami expressed hope for the near collapse of oppression, noting that Bashar al-Assad similarly demonized his prisoners, much like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman does through state-controlled media.
Saudi Prisons Under Scrutiny
National Assembly Party member Nasser Al-Arabi listed notorious Saudi detention centers such as Dhahban, Al-Ha’ir, and Al-Tarafiya prisons, emphasizing that the reality in these prisons is far worse than what is publicly known.
Party member Khaloud Al-Anzi called on Saudis discussing the horrors of Syrian prisons to avoid claiming they are unparalleled. She urged them to wait until Saudi prison conditions are revealed with full transparency, saying: “My soul aches for the prisoners of conscience in my country. It is terrifying to imagine being shackled in the prisons of tyrants. How do they endure torture, humiliation, and illness? How can their memories erase such systematic abuse? I have not and will never forget you. May God bring your freedom soon.”
Al-Anzi further added, “I believe that the horrors we are now seeing in Assad’s prisons—atrocities beyond the imagination of decent minds—will one day be matched by the revelations from Saudi prisons and others run by oppressive regimes. It’s only a matter of time before the truth emerges.”
Criticism from Religious and Political Figures
Prominent Saudi scholar and thinker Ahmed Al-Sayed remarked, “If you condemn the atrocities in Assad’s prisons, know that there are many other countries, including Saudi Arabia, with prisons housing thousands of wrongfully detained scholars, preachers, and reformists. These individuals have spent years behind bars, deprived of even the most basic rights. I am both saddened and angered by those who criticize Syria’s prisons while defending injustices in their own countries.”
Imad Al-Mubaydh, General Supervisor of the Union of Haramayn Preachers in the UK, also highlighted the plight of Saudi detainees. He said, “The prisons in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques (Saudi Arabia) are worlds of their own. Former prisoners and their families recount stories of immense suffering, where even the most basic human rights are denied.”
A Call for Justice and Accountability
As calls for transparency and reform grow louder, critics are demanding the release of political prisoners and an end to the abuses that have become synonymous with the Saudi prison system. The revelations from Saydnaya have only added urgency to these demands, with activists and observers emphasizing that the truth about Saudi prisons must be exposed, just as Assad’s crimes have been brought to light.
The stories of detainees and the public outcry underscore the need for justice and accountability in the face of mounting evidence of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and other authoritarian regimes.
