Saudi Arabia: Mass Expulsions of Migrant Workers

http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/09/s...igrant-workers

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities have conducted a concerted campaign since 2013 to detain and deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrant workers, resulting in abuses against many of them, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 36-page report, “Detained, Beaten, Deported: Saudi Abuses against Migrants during Mass Expulsions,” draws on interviews with 60 workers deported to Yemen and Somalia who experienced serious abuses during the expulsion campaign. They described beatings and detention in poor conditions before they were deported. Many arrived back in their countries destitute, unable to buy food or pay for transportation to their home areas, in some cases because Saudi officials arbitrarily confiscated their personal property.

“Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrants Saudi Arabia has deported in the last year and a half have been sent back to places where their safety is threatened,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director. “Saudi Arabia should treat all migrants with respect and decency, regardless of their status, and provide a fair legal process, including the right to challenge their deportation.”

Saudi Arabia stopped deporting citizens of Yemen in late March 2015, following intensification of violent conflict in Yemen, in which Saudi armed forces were involved. In April, Saudi authorities announced that all undocumented Yemenis who had been in Saudi Arabia before April 9 would be eligible for a six-month renewable visa enabling them to work and live legally in Saudi Arabia.

Deportations of nationals of other countries are unaffected. Saudi Arabia should not resume deportations of Yemenis – or deport nationals of other countries– until it is able to carry out deportations in a manner that respects people’s rights, Human Rights Watch said.

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