Man dies of fright in Saudi vice police custody

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Man dies of fright in Saudi vice police custody

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:41:23 PM EDT

Yea right... Well at least he was not shot while trying to escape.

Man dies of fright in Saudi vice police custody
Sun Aug 12, 4:36 PM ET

RIYADH (AFP) - A Bangladeshi man died of fright after being arrested by Saudi Arabia's controversial religious police for washing a car instead of praying, a local newspaper reported on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT

The unnamed man died last week in the holy city of Medina after being detained by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Al-Jazirah reported.

The Arabic daily said the man "convulsed in fear after he was arrested, leading to a drop in his blood pressure and causing his death."

The man was arrested by members of the commission, commonly known as the Muttawa, for washing a car during a time of day when he should have been at prayer, the paper said.

The Muttawa enforce a strict Islamic moral code in the ultra-conservative kingdom, and are increasingly being criticised by the public for perceived abuses.

The Muttawa beat a group of Iraqi pilgrims holding British and US citizenship in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, a Saudi Shiite news website said on August 6.

The Shiite news website rasid.net said the Muttawa beat the pilgrims with sticks after accusing them of being "infidels" as they circled the holy Kaaba stone at the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site.

The head of the Muttawa, Ibrahim al-Ghaith, said the Bangladeshi man "fainted" while being transported in a vehicle and that doctors found no signs of "assault or torture" on his body, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

Three commission members and policeman who witnessed the incident were questioned before being completely exonerated, it added.

Complaints about excesses attributed to the 5,000-strong force have become increasingly common in the local press in recent months.

The English-language daily Arab News reported last week that a Nigerian convert to Islam was jailed in Riyadh after he helped a sick 63-year-old woman and was then accused by the religious police of immoral behaviour.

Earlier this month, a court acquitted three members of the Muttawa and a policeman over the death of a man in their custody in the northwestern city of Tabuk. He too had been accused of associating with a woman who was not a relative.

The interior ministry issued a decree in May 2006 that aimed to rein in the Muttawa by requiring them not to interrogate detained suspects, as they had previously done, but to hand them over to the regular police instead.

However, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz last month defended the Muttawa, accusing journalists of exaggerating recent abuse allegations.

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:43:15 PM EDT

[#1]

It's entirely possible that the guy freaked out and dropped dead....

But with the kingdom of Saud's record on human rights nobody will believe that even on the (incredibly infinitesimally remote) chance that it is true.

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:47:48 PM EDT

[#2]

Feds will do that to conservatives if the Dems get the chance. Global warming deniers, pro-war supporters, you can bet they would.

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:50:30 PM EDT

[#3]

Suuure he did

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:55:01 PM EDT

[#4]

In an unrelated story a young Saudi woman, recently the victim of a rape, died after accidentally slipping, falling and hitting her head on a large rock 152 times.

ETA: Her father was quoted as saying, "Insha'Allah."

Posted: 8/13/2007 12:55:45 PM EDT

[#5]

The Saudi religious police managed to kill some guy after taking him into custody because he was supposedly out with an unchaperoned woman. Turns out he was a driver hired by her family. There have been a couple of othe similar incidents recently that has caused some public outcry to reign in the morals police, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for any long term change. Like the article says theoretically they are supposed to have regular cops with them during interrogations but they ignore that.

I doubt the Saudi government has the stones to really bring these vermin to heal.

Posted: 8/13/2007 1:56:01 PM EDT

[#6]

If you're going to live in a strict fundamentalist Islamic country under Shari'a law, you better observe the customes. When it's prayer time, don't be washing your car. If living under such restrictions is too onerous for you, try another country.

I really, really doubt that this story is in any way unique. We just happened to hear about it.

Posted: 8/13/2007 2:30:09 PM EDT

[#7]

It was entirely coincidental that he was receiving electric shocks and beating to the feet at the time.

RF

Posted: 8/13/2007 2:32:14 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
If you're going to live in a strict fundamentalist Islamic country under Shari'a law, you better observe the customes. When it's prayer time, don't be washing your car. If living under such restrictions is too onerous for you, try another country.

I really, really doubt that this story is in any way unique. We just happened to hear about it.

Shameful

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Man dies of fright in Saudi vice police custody

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