Prison fire

last updated 8 January 2015

Riyadh

Nearly 100 inmates died in a massive fire at a prison in the Saudi capital this week. Dozens of cell blocks were incinerated to ash, and the prisoners’ bodies burned beyond recognition. An initial investigation blamed the fire on an electrical malfunction, but Saudi police said they had not ruled out sabotage. It was unclear whether the prison housed any of the hundreds of Islamic militants and al Qaida members who have been arrested over the past few months. International human-rights activists have not been allowed to visit Saudi prisons, which are believed to be horribly overcrowded. Reports of torture are common.