The Saudi authorities are treating Egyptian Salah Lashin and the other Egyptians who were arrested in Saudi Arabia 17 days ago on charges of having no residence permit as "servants", Lashin's brother Mohamed Abdel Hamid said. The detainees are being mistreated. They are detained in a narrow 100-m2 cell with other 400 prisoners of different nationalities, including 105 Egyptians. Abdel Hamid told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the latest phone call with his brother was two days ago. He added that the security chief in the Saudi prison allowed him to phone his brother for 10 Saudi riyals. He quoted his brother as saying that the Egyptian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has taken no action to release the detained Egyptians. Although the representative of the Embassy in Jeddah visits the prison everyday, he does not visit the cell where the Egyptians are detained, he said. For his part, Egypt's General Consul in Saudi Arabia Ali al-Aushiri said that those who are being detained in cells number 1 and 2 gave false data to the Saudi authorities, adding that they would be released within a month. 4,080 Egyptians who performed last year's Umra (minor pilgrimage) have been deported. In addition, he affirmed 84 more Egyptians were deported yesterday to Cairo and 100 more would be deported as quickly as possible.
