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{{short description|Secret police of Saudi Arabia}}
{{short description|Secret police of Saudi Arabia}}
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{{Infobox law enforcement agency
{{for|the former Egyptian security agency with a similar name in Arabic|State Security Investigations Service}}
| agencyname = Mabahith
⚫
{{Infobox government agency
| nativenamea = {{lang|ar|مباحث}}
|agency_name = General Investigation Directorate (Mabahith)
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| patch =
⚫
|motto = ''A homeland we don't protect, we don't deserve to live in''
|seal = Seal of the Mabahith.svg
| patchcaption =
| logo = Seal of the Mabahith.svg
|seal_width = 150px
| logocaption = Seal of the Mabahith
|seal_caption = Seal of the Mabahith
| badge =
|picture =
| badgecaption =
|picture_width =
| flag = Flag of the Mabahith.svg
|picture_caption =
| flagcaption = Flag of the Mabahith
| image_size =
|logo = Flag of the Mabahith.svg{{!}}border
|logo_width = 200px
| commonname = Mabahith
| abbreviation =
|logo_caption = Flag of the Mabahith
| motto =
⚫
|formed = {{Start date and years ago|1924|10|14}} as General Directorate of Public Security
⚫
| mottotranslated = A homeland we don't protect, we don't deserve to live in
⚫
|superseding =
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| formed = {{Start date and years ago|1924|10|14}} as General Directorate of Public Security
|jurisdiction = [[Government of Saudi Arabia]]
|headquarters = [[Riyadh]], [[Saudi Arabia]]
| preceding1 = <!-- up to | preceding6 = -->
|employees =
| dissolved =
|budget =
| superseding =
|minister2_name =
| employees =
|minister2_pfo =
| volunteers =
| budget =
|chief1_name = [[General officer]] [[AbdulAziz bin Mohammed Al-Howairini]]
| legalpersonality =
|chief1_position = Director
| legaljuris =
⚫
|chief2_name = [[Lieutenant general|Lt. Gen.]] [[Abdullah al-Qarni]]
|chief2_position = Deputy Director
| country = Saudi Arabia
| constitution1 = <!-- up to | constitution6 = -->
⚫
|parent_agency = [[Presidency of State Security]]
|website =
| secret = yes
| headquarters = [[Riyadh]], [[Saudi Arabia]]
|chief3_name=|chief3_position=|chief4_name=|chief4_position=|chief5_name=|chief5_position=|chief6_name=|chief6_position=|chief7_name=|chief7_position=|chief8_name=|chief8_position=|chief9_name=|chief9_position=|parent_department=}}
| minister1name = <!-- up to | minister6name = -->
| minister1pfo = <!-- up to | minister6pfo = -->
| chief1name = Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Issa
| chief1position = Director
⚫
| chief2name = [[Lieutenant general|Lt. Gen.]] [[Abdullah al-Qarni]]
| chief2position = Deputy Director
⚫
| parentagency = [[Presidency of State Security]]
| anniversary1 = <!-- up to | anniversary6 = -->
| award1 = <!-- up to | award6 = -->
| website =
| footnotes =
}}


The '''Saudi Mabahith''' ({{lang-ar|المباحث العامة}}, {{transl|ar|DIN|''al-Mabāḥiṯ al-ʿĀmmah''}}, '''General Investigation Directorate'''), also spelled ''Mabaheth'', is the [[secret police]] agency of the [[Presidency of State Security]] in [[Saudi Arabia]], and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence.
The '''Ministry of Interior and General Investigation''' ({{langx|ar|الوزارة الداخلية المباحث العامة|translit=al-Wizāra al-Dākhliya al-Mabāḥith al-ʿĀmma}}), commonly known simply as the '''Mabahith''', is the [[secret police]] agency of the [[Presidency of State Security]] in [[Saudi Arabia]], and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence.


The officers of the Mabahith have delegated powers to investigate, survey, and detain individuals who are deemed to be "threats to national security".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/saudiarabia0809web.pdf|year=2009|website=[[Human Rights Watch]]|url-status=live|title=Human Rights and Saudi Arabia's Counterterrorism Response - Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention and Flawed Trials |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726044055/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/saudiarabia0809web.pdf|archive-date=2019-07-26|access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref> The Mabahith has conducted a wide variety of security operations that have led to the arrest of high profile terrorists, and opposition members that caused internal unrest. Officially, the Mabahith are to turn over arrested individuals to the Saudi courts for sentencing. The Mabahith have been used by the government of Saudi Arabia to monitor political opposition and individuals they deem to be threatening to Saudi society. The organization has been criticized by the United Nations, [[Amnesty International]], and [[Human Rights Watch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/report-saudi-arabia/|title=Saudi Arabia 2018|website=[[Amnesty International]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref>
The officers of the Mabahith have delegated powers to investigate, survey, and detain individuals who are deemed to be "threats to national security".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/saudiarabia0809web.pdf|year=2009|website=[[Human Rights Watch]]|url-status=live|title=Human Rights and Saudi Arabia's Counterterrorism Response - Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention and Flawed Trials |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726044055/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/saudiarabia0809web.pdf|archive-date=2019-07-26|access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref> The Mabahith has conducted a wide variety of security operations that have led to the arrest of high profile terrorists, and opposition members that have been accused of causing internal unrest. Officially, the Mabahith are to turn over arrested individuals to the Saudi courts for sentencing. The Mabahith have been used by the government of Saudi Arabia to monitor political opposition and individuals they deem to be threatening to Saudi society. The organization has been criticized by the United Nations, [[Amnesty International]], and [[Human Rights Watch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/report-saudi-arabia/|title=Saudi Arabia 2018|website=[[Amnesty International]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref>


==Role==
==Role==
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According to [[Human Rights Watch]], the Mabahith "monitors suspected political opponents and others, targets individuals for arrest, and interrogates detainees. Mabahith agents operate with impunity and have been responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses, including [[arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrest]], incommunicado detention, and [[torture]]"<ref name="HRW_Mabahith_defn" /> including [[waterboarding]], [[denailing]], [[flagellation]] and [[Strike (attack)|beatings]], amongst other forms of severe abuse.
According to [[Human Rights Watch]], the Mabahith "monitors suspected political opponents and others, targets individuals for arrest, and interrogates detainees. Mabahith agents operate with impunity and have been responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses, including [[arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrest]], incommunicado detention, and [[torture]]"<ref name="HRW_Mabahith_defn" /> including [[waterboarding]], [[denailing]], [[flagellation]] and [[Strike (attack)|beatings]], amongst other forms of severe abuse.


Members of the Mabahith were allegedly responsible for the torture of Western detainees arrested during a car bombing campaign which started in 2000. Two members in particular, [[Khalid al-Saleh]] and [[Ibrahim al-Dali]], were named by [[William Sampson (author)|William Sampson]] in his court action against the Saudi government.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} Sampson and others lost their case in the [[UK High Court]] when the Saudis used the [[State Immunity Act 1978]] as their defence.
Members of the Mabahith were allegedly responsible for the torture of Western detainees arrested during a car bombing campaign which started in 2000. Two members in particular, [[Khalid al-Saleh]] and [[Ibrahim al-Dali]], were named by [[William Sampson (author)|William Sampson]] in his court action against the Saudi government, Sampson and others lost their case in the [[UK High Court]] when the Saudis used the [[State Immunity Act 1978]] as their defence.

==Directors==
* Ali bin Hassan Al-Sayrafi (1965-1967)
* Fayez bin Mohammed Al-Aufi (1967-1969)
* Ahmed bin Saleh Mansour (1969-1971)
* Abdulaziz bin Masoud Ismail (1972-1986)
* Saleh bin Taha bin Saleh Khasifan (1986-2002)
* Mahmoud bin Mohammed Bakhsh (2002-2006)
* AbdulAziz bin Mohammed Al-Howairini (2006-2022)
* Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Issa (2022-Present)


==Prisons==
==Prisons==


===Al-Ha'ir Prison===
===Al-Ha'ir Prison===
[[Al-Haa'ir Prison]] is a Mabahith-affiliated prison.<ref name="ANHRI_19aug2012alHair" /> The Mabahith have conducted classified interviews as well as interrogations of high profile Al-Qaeda members being held in the prison.
[[Al-Ha'ir Prison]] is a Mabahith-affiliated prison.<ref name="ANHRI_19aug2012alHair" /> The Mabahith have conducted classified interviews as well as interrogations of high profile Al-Qaeda members being held in the prison.


===ʽUlaysha Prison===
===ʽUlaysha Prison===
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===Dhahban Central Prison===
===Dhahban Central Prison===
[[Dhahban Central Prison]] is used for arbitrary detention. According to the [[Human Rights Watch]] report, women activists – who have been detained since May 2018 – were taken to Dhahban and tortured in a room called an “officer’s guesthouse”. Reportedly, the men who tortured these women were from “cyber security” – a reference to officers working under [[Saud al-Qahtani]], who was fired for his involvement in the [[Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi|killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/06/saudi-arabia-allow-access-detained-women-activists|title=Saudi Arabia: Allow Access to Detained Women Activists|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=6 December 2018}}</ref>
[[Dhahban Central Prison]] is used for arbitrary detention. According to the [[Human Rights Watch]] report, women activists – who have been detained since May 2018 – were taken to Dhahban and tortured in a room called an "officer's guesthouse". Reportedly, the men who tortured these women were from "cyber security" – a reference to officers working under [[Saud al-Qahtani]], who was fired for his involvement in the [[Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi|killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/06/saudi-arabia-allow-access-detained-women-activists|title=Saudi Arabia: Allow Access to Detained Women Activists|date=6 December 2018 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=6 December 2018}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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{{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}
* [[Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah]] – Saudi Arabian external security agency
* [[General Intelligence Presidency]] (''Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah'') – Saudi Foreign intelligence agency
* [[Presidency of State Security]]
* [[Presidency of State Security]]


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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/investigationdepartment Official website]
* [http://www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/investigationdepartment Official website]

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{{2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests}}
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{{Saudi Arabia topics}}
{{Saudi security forces}}
{{Saudi security forces}}
{{National intelligence agencies}}
{{National intelligence agencies}}
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{{2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests}}

[[Category:Saudi Arabian intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:1924 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:20th-century establishments in the Arabian Peninsula]]
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[[Category:Kingdom of Hejaz]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1924|Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Secret police]]
[[Category:2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests]]
[[Category:2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Arab Spring]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Arab Spring]]
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[[Category:Secret police]]

Revision as of 06:31, 22 December 2024

Mabahith
مباحث
Seal of the Mabahith
Seal of the Mabahith
Flag of the Mabahith
Flag of the Mabahith
Common nameMabahith
MottoA homeland we don't protect, we don't deserve to live in
Agency overview
FormedOctober 14, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-10-14) as General Directorate of Public Security
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionSaudi Arabia
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Agency executives
Parent agencyPresidency of State Security

The Ministry of Interior and General Investigation (Arabic: الوزارة الداخلية المباحث العامة, romanized: al-Wizāra al-Dākhliya al-Mabāḥith al-ʿĀmma), commonly known simply as the Mabahith, is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence.

The officers of the Mabahith have delegated powers to investigate, survey, and detain individuals who are deemed to be "threats to national security".[1] The Mabahith has conducted a wide variety of security operations that have led to the arrest of high profile terrorists, and opposition members that have been accused of causing internal unrest. Officially, the Mabahith are to turn over arrested individuals to the Saudi courts for sentencing. The Mabahith have been used by the government of Saudi Arabia to monitor political opposition and individuals they deem to be threatening to Saudi society. The organization has been criticized by the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.[2]

Role

According to Human Rights Watch, the Mabahith "monitors suspected political opponents and others, targets individuals for arrest, and interrogates detainees. Mabahith agents operate with impunity and have been responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, and torture"[3] including waterboarding, denailing, flagellation and beatings, amongst other forms of severe abuse.

Members of the Mabahith were allegedly responsible for the torture of Western detainees arrested during a car bombing campaign which started in 2000. Two members in particular, Khalid al-Saleh and Ibrahim al-Dali, were named by William Sampson in his court action against the Saudi government, Sampson and others lost their case in the UK High Court when the Saudis used the State Immunity Act 1978 as their defence.

Directors

  • Ali bin Hassan Al-Sayrafi (1965-1967)
  • Fayez bin Mohammed Al-Aufi (1967-1969)
  • Ahmed bin Saleh Mansour (1969-1971)
  • Abdulaziz bin Masoud Ismail (1972-1986)
  • Saleh bin Taha bin Saleh Khasifan (1986-2002)
  • Mahmoud bin Mohammed Bakhsh (2002-2006)
  • AbdulAziz bin Mohammed Al-Howairini (2006-2022)
  • Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Issa (2022-Present)

Prisons

Al-Ha'ir Prison

Al-Ha'ir Prison is a Mabahith-affiliated prison.[4] The Mabahith have conducted classified interviews as well as interrogations of high profile Al-Qaeda members being held in the prison.

ʽUlaysha Prison

Mabahith runs the ʽUlaysha Prison in Riyadh,[5] where it holds prisoners under arbitrary detention. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has objected to arbitrary detention at Mabahith's prison.[6][7] As of June 2011, arbitrarily detained prisoners apparently include five founding members of a would-be political party, the Umma Islamic Party,[5] and Khaled al-Johani, who publicly protested in Riyadh on the 11 March "Day of Rage" during the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests.[8][9] Political prisoners living in exile have testified that Mabahith agents used illegal interrogation methods and tortured political dissidents who were being held arbitrarily in the prison.

Dhahban Central Prison

Dhahban Central Prison is used for arbitrary detention. According to the Human Rights Watch report, women activists – who have been detained since May 2018 – were taken to Dhahban and tortured in a room called an "officer's guesthouse". Reportedly, the men who tortured these women were from "cyber security" – a reference to officers working under Saud al-Qahtani, who was fired for his involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Human Rights and Saudi Arabia's Counterterrorism Response - Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention and Flawed Trials" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  2. ^ "Saudi Arabia 2018". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  3. ^ Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Deafening Silence (Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, December 2001)
  4. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Dispensing a Peaceful Demonstration after Assaulting Prisoner's Wife and Four of Her Children due to A video Segment". ANHRI. 2012-08-28. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
  5. ^ a b Wilcke, Christopher (2011-02-19). "Secret Police Crackdown on Founders of First Political Party". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  6. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Opinion on the arbitrary detention of Mr. Faiz bin Abdelmohsen Al Qaid". Alkarama for Human Rights. 2007-07-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  7. ^ "Saudi Arabia: The Working Group of the United Nations describes the detention of Abdel Rahman Samara as arbitrary". Alkarama for Human Rights. 2009-04-21. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Dana (2011-04-08). "Imprisoned Father of Autistic Boy Called "the Bravest Man in Saudi Arabia"". AOL News. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  9. ^ "EU, US Leaders Should Publicly Condemn Human Rights Violations". Human Rights Watch. 2011-04-20. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  10. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Allow Access to Detained Women Activists". Human Rights Watch. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
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