Sana’a government reveals details of violations and mistreatment suffered by Yemeni expats in Saudi Arabia

Zaid Al-Ryami, the deputy minister of expatriate affairs in the Sana’a government, revealed on Monday that the Saudi government is imprisoning between 8,000 and 10,000 Yemeni expats, including dozens of women, subjecting them to abuse, and distributing them among deportation prisons. This confirms the Saudi regime’s abuses.

Sana’a – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

In a press conference, Al-Ryami said that Yemeni expats detained in Saudi Arabia “have been sentenced to judicial rulings, such as prison in Turayf, Al-Kharj, and Ha’ir due to residency permits, fingerprints, and reports from sponsors, while the number of women who are subjected to severe torture and violations ranges from 300 to 500 in Al-Kharj prison,” according to the Sana’a-based Saba news agency.

“The Saudi regime has violated agreements and treaties between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, including the Taif Agreement, which stipulated that Yemeni citizens residing in Saudi Arabia should be treated like Saudi citizens,” he continued. “Instead, it commits many violations against expats, including humiliation and arrests due to expired residences, imposing fees exceeding 20,000 Saudi riyals, and taking their money under the pretext that they are not Saudi.”

The deputy explained that the “visa fee, which amounts to fifteen thousand Saudi riyals,” adding that “when the expat arrives, he does not know the sponsor, and this visa is through a broker or office, and he is forced to sign his rights, salaries, and receipt, then given a period of six months to transfer sponsorship to another person to double the fees and apply the Nitaqat program,” are the “most common forms of exploitation” that Yemeni expats endure in Saudi, according to the source.

He continued: “The expat pays an amount ranging from three to five thousand six hundred and fifty riyals for the card and the residency renewal, and the rest goes to the sponsor upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia. If there is no other sponsor, the first sponsor files a report against the worker, alleging absence from work or escape, so that his fictitious establishment won’t be placed in a red zone. This is where the journey of suffering and torment begins. The expat needs between 15,000 and 20,000 Saudi riyals to cancel this report. As for work, it is impossible to find work as a new arrival; if he can’t find employment, he will be detained and deported.

Al-Ryami noted that “Yemeni expats cannot work in closed markets and remain threatened with arrest and placement in deportation prisons on the pretext of violating the system, and they are subjected to insults and curses,” confirming that “the professions allowed for Yemeni expats are limited and consist of menial work, such as porters and cattle herders, etc., and in order to move from one profession to another, a fee of up to ten thousand Saudi riyals is required.

Last but not least, the Sana’a government’s Deputy Minister of Expatriate Affairs revealed to the Saba news agency that the ministry “is working on preparing dedicated files that document the violations of the Saudi system against Yemeni expats and submitting them to international courts.”