What Saudi prisons can tell us about the kingdom’s rulers

Conditions in Saudi Arabia’s prisons and detention centres starkly expose the true nature of Mohammed bin Salman’s rule.

It is sometimes said that a society can be judged by how it treats its prisoners. In the case of repressive regimes, however – from Egypt to Cambodia – the treatment of prisoners says more about a country’s rulers than the society itself. In Saudi Arabia, while Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman has sought to portray himself as a progressive reformer, invoking his ambitious Vision 2030 and grandiose projects like the megacity of Neom, he has at the same time presided over a human rights crackdown unprecedented in its ferocity. Conditions in Saudi Arabia’s prisons and detention centres starkly expose the true nature of Mohammed bin Salman’s rule. A new and in-depth report from ALQST, a Saudi-focused human rights NGO, research for which included a unique survey of prisoners, reveals that violations of prisoners’ rights have increased to an alarming degree over the past five years.