Prisoners praise Saudi conditions

By Sebastian Usher
BBC world media correspondent

Previous TV footage of suspected militant urging others to surrender

Jailed suspected militants have appeared on Saudi TV praising prison conditions and calling for al-Qaeda sympathisers to turn themselves in.

The programme was the latest effort by Saudi authorities to try to contain the wave of Islamic militant violence.

It paints an extraordinarily rosy picture of al-Hayer prison near Riyadh, showing spotless and modern facilities.

It is in stark contrast to regular reports of torture and prisoner mistreatment by human rights groups.

'Family ties'

The men described their conditions in jail as better than in their own homes.

One of them, Othman al-Ahmari, number 21 on the country's most wanted list, said the prison guards were nicer than his own parents.

Another said: "We did not witness the torture of which we used to hear.

"The prison authorities sympathise with the prisoner and respond to the prisoners' wishes.

"I would describe it as a family tie between the prisoner and the prison authorities."

Five Britons claim they were tortured to extract TV confessions

To reinforce the point, the programme showed footage from inside al-Hayer prison of gleaming white corridors and clean, modern equipment.

Amnesty International's reports routinely denounce prisoner abuse and the use of torture in Saudi jails.

Five British expatriates held in al-Hayer and since released have said they were tortured in order to extract televised confessions to crimes they had not committed.

Earlier this year, a fire at the prison killed more than 60 prisoners.

Surrender

The aim of the programme seems to have been to allay the fears of militants considering surrender but fearful of the consequences.

Saudi Arabia's efforts to counter the wave of Islamist violence that has left more than 170 people dead in the past 18 months have already embraced similar tactics of persuasion as well as force.

A month-long amnesty was offered to militants in June, while Saudi TV has broadcast a series of programmes showing former militants appealing to others to give themselves up.

Many televised debates have seen leading religious figures condemning Islamist violence as against the Koran.

This has all indicated a new openness within Saudi Arabia to face up to the country's problems.

But it does not yet appear to have done enough to stem the tide of violence.