Prisoners’ misery in Sakaka

JEDDAH, 8 July — Prisoners at a police detention center in Sakaka in the northern part of the Kingdom complained about the poor hygienic conditions at the facility. The inmates are attacked by armies of mice and cockroaches in addition to several other vermin. The prisoners also complained of the defective air-conditioning in the building, which made life miserable for them. Lt.Col. Hammoud Al-Rabie, director of the prison, admitted that the premises were not cleaned on a daily basis as the cleaning worker would return on Saturdays after going away on Wednesdays. The director said he had to clean the premises himself on several occasions. He has raised the matter with higher officials many times but to no avail. (MA)