Saudi rights body signs deal to launch programs for prisoners’ rights

The Saudi Human Rights Commission signed three MoUs with Tarahum in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
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Updated 30 November 2020
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Saudi rights body signs deal to launch programs for prisoners’ rights

  • Al-Awwad said teams from the commission regularly visit prisons and detention facilities to ensure the rights of inmates are protected

RIYADH: Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, president of the Human Rights Commission, on Monday said the Kingdom attaches great importance to the rights of prisoners and provides them with comprehensive care through various rehabilitation programs to help them integrate into society and become productive citizens.

He was speaking at the signing ceremony of three memorandums understanding (MoUs) with the National Committee for Prisoners, their Families, and Ex-Convicts (Tarahum) in Riyadh.

Al-Awwad said teams from the commission regularly visit prisons and detention facilities to ensure the rights of inmates are protected.

He said the commission works with the General Directorate of Prisons to promote prisoners’ rights in line with national regulations and international and regional agreements.

The agreement envisages the establishment of three centers.

The first center will be set up to support alternative punishments; the second center will be dedicated to visual communication between prisoners and their families; and the third will design and implement awareness programs.

Tarahum Secretary-General Turki bin Abdullah Al-Bati said the MoUs will help widen the scope of the committee, which seeks to work for the betterment of society in cooperation with relevant authorities.
 


Rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

Updated 05 February 2026
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Rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea

  • Turtles travel thousands of kilometers to Red Sea
  • Nesting 6,500km away in India’s Andaman Islands

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife has documented a rare sighting of a leatherback sea turtle in the Red Sea, marking a significant biological record for one of the planet’s most critically endangered marine species.

The sighting occurred approximately 30 km off the coast of Al-Qunfudhah within the Blue Holes Protected Area, a newly established marine reserve, according to a recent report from the Saudi Press Agency.

The NCW said the presence of a leatherback in these waters was an exceptional event.

Recognized as the largest turtle species on Earth, the leatherback can weigh up to 900 kilograms. It has a unique leathery, black carapace — distinguished by five longitudinal ridges rather than a hard bony shell — and able to dive to depths exceeding 1,000 meters.

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Noting the species’ migratory nature, the center explained that leatherbacks travel thousands of kilometers foraging for jellyfish. The specimen likely navigated through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait in search of food.

This is considered a remarkable journey, the NCW said, noting that the nearest known populations reside in the Indian Ocean, spanning waters from South Africa to Sri Lanka (roughly 7,000 to 8,000 km away).

The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, approximately 6,500 kilometers away. No nesting activity has been recorded in the Red Sea.

According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the leatherback is Critically Endangered in the Indian Ocean.

While data for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is scarce, recent isolated sightings include a juvenile recorded in Jordan in December 2025 and another off Djibouti in 2019.

The NCW emphasized that these rare appearances highlight the ecological importance of the Kingdom's marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea.

The center pointed to the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, along with the new Blue Holes and Ras Hatiba reserves, as critical sanctuaries that could support the expansion in range of such endangered species.