The Commission for Investigation and General Prosecution in Makkah assigned on Monday one of its members to investigate six female inmates who are thought to have been involved in a brawl at a Makkah women's correctional facility on Sunday. Informed sources said that one woman, who is pregnant, was released from solitary confinement because of her poor health. She rejoined her other fellow inmates. The remaining five inmates are still being kept in solitary confinement and are being questioned. The results of a preliminary investigation showed that the brawl was allegedly started between two female inmates, which then developed onto a fist fight, tearing of clothes and pulling each other's hair. The source said the situation was relatively calm on Monday. Saudi Gazette previously reported that the brawl took place early Sunday morning. Allegedly 14 other inmates were also involved to some degree. The facility has a total of 43 inmates. Women supervisors were reportedly forced to close the ward and call in police to control the situation. This is the same facility that is still the subject of a major investigation into the causes of a riot in January by women inmates over alleged poor living conditions and ill-treatment. The investigation into January's riot over poor living conditions, launched by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, is still under way. Prince Khaled had formed a quartet committee, which is chaired by the region's governorate and includes the police, the Commission for Investigation and General Prosecution and the Ministry of Social Affairs. The committee started its investigations almost two months ago and will continue its probe for another two weeks. The quartet committee has so far questioned 32 women including female inmates, supervisors and social workers. The committee has also visited some of the regions to investigate some of the women who were transferred from the Makkah facility. The committee has also investigated the female director of the facility and the supervisor of the women's section in the region. The riot in January was sparked by poor living conditions. The women claimed that they were often beaten up by the female guards, were not given proper food, lived in unhygienic circumstances and had to endure solitary confinement. They said that most of them suffered from psychiatric illnesses and were under treatment at psychiatric clinics in Makkah. Others were under observation because of the alleged maltreatment. Their plight was confirmed by the National Society for Human Rights.
