Some have been detained since 1989 without charge or trial. Torture is applied against detainees during interrogation to extract confessions which in turn are used to incriminate them. Mental torture and ill-treatment include death threats and threats of abuse against the prisoner and his family, particularly female relatives. Another form of such psychological abuse is to broadcast repeatedly, loudly and late into the night, taped political disco urses in Abu Salim Prison where long-term political prisoners and detainees are held. This practice is believed to be used to deprive detainees of sleep.
Torture takes place in detention centres and in prisons.
The principle of non-refoulement. The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees prohibits the forcible return of any person to a country where she or he risks serious human rights violations. This principle is recognized by the international community as a norm of customary international law, binding on all states, irrespective of whether they are party to the 1951 Convention itself. Over the last few years, Saudi Arabia has forcibly returned several people to countries where they were at risk of human rights violations, including Libya and Egypt. In 1996, Saudi Arabia returned at least six Egyptian nationals to Egypt, where they were allegedly tortured.