Saudi authorities deporting Ethiopian migrants after detention in 'inhuman' conditions: Amnesty

Saudi authorities are forcibly returning hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian migrants after having held them in inhuman conditions, according to Amnesty International. 

In a research briefing released Friday, Amnesty accused Saudi Arabia of holding Ethiopian migrants in cruel conditions solely because they did not have valid residency documents, before forcibly deporting them.

The rights group alleged that Saudi authorities were holding migrant workers in overcrowded detention centres and unsanitary conditions, as well as torturing the inmate by beating them and withholding access to food, water or medical care. 

We found a pattern of human rights violations committed by #SaudiArabian authorities against #Ethiopian migrants, including 👇: pic.twitter.com/rjx61nCONK

— Amnesty Gulf (@amnestygulf) December 16, 2022

Migrant workers are vulnerable to this plight in part due to Saudi Arabia's kafala system, Amnesty said.

"Saudi Arabia’s restrictive kafala system often gives irregular migrant workers no pathway to obtain legal residency nor allows documented workers to leave or change abusive employers without losing their residency status, subjecting them to the risk of arrest and forcible returns," the research briefing read.

"Saudi Arabia has been aggressively investing in re-branding its image as part of its ambitions to attract foreign businesses and investors, but beneath this glitzy veneer is a story of horrific abuse against migrants who have been toiling away to help Saudi Arabia realize its grand vision," said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the world, yet it is cramming migrants in dirty detention centres and refusing to provide them with proper medical care, food, and water," she added. 

Saudi and Ethiopian authorities announced in March 2022 that 10,000 Ethiopian men, women and children would be returned by the end of the year. 

Amnesty also said that unaccompanied minors and pregnant women were among those being forcibly deported from the country. 

There are roughly ten million migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.