RIYADH – The Saudi Arabian government has opened a probe after clips went viral showing security forces beating women at an orphanage.
Authorities took action as the assault incident at an orphanage located in Kingdom’s southwest region prompted outrage on social sites.
The clips were stealthily recorded by a woman who captured the disturbing moments, as dozens of men, some of them dressed in security uniforms, can be seen chasing women, and lashing them with wooden sticks and belts.
Nothing to see here people, just Saudi forces assault women in an orphanage…
Yes this is Saudi Arabia, a country where women are worth nothing, what a shit hole for anyone besides the wealthy. pic.twitter.com/Ey2RfF3ihw
— Anonymous Operations (@AnonOpsSE) September 1, 2022
Another man can be seen dragging one of the victims by her hair as the girl cries for help in the unverified clip. Other teenage girls are shown being chased and assaulted with canes.
Some reports suggest that the clips were recorded in the Social Education House in Khamis Mushait.
Governor of the Asir, a region of the Kingdom in the southwest, said he formed a committee to look into the matter and that its findings would be referred to the competent authorities.
Meanwhile, some users on microblogging claim that girls were staging a protest against corruption and injustice while many activists expressed outrage at the footage after it went viral.
Earlier, many human rights activists expressed concern about women’s rights in Kingdom, despite the new regime under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman relaxed strict rules for women.
