CRY FOR MERCY

Saudi Princess Jailed Without Charge Begs for Freedom as Coronavirus Spreads Through Prisons

Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the last of King Saud’s 108 children, warned King Salman and MBS that COVID-19 is spreading in her Riyadh jail.

A Saudi princess jailed without charges for more than a year has made a rare public appeal to her uncle, King Salman, and her cousin, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for her release, exposing long-simmering tensions in the Saudi royal family. Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, said to be the last of King Saud’s 108 children, has forged a reputation an outspoken human-rights advocate. In a letter circulating on Twitter, she claimed she’s being detained without charge in a Riyadh jail. She said her health had deteriorated to the point that it was now “very critical,” and warned that the novel coronavirus is spreading through her prison. Human Rights Watch said the detention fitted a clear pattern of dissenters being ruthlessly silenced by the crown prince, who has methodically consolidated power since ousting his uncle Mohammed bin Nayef nearly three years ago and giving himself a clear run to the throne.