Sixty-nine Palestinians and Jordanians who have been working in Saudi Arabia for years were given harsh sentences Aug. 8, some reaching as high as 22 years. They are charged with membership in an illegal organization (Hamas) and organizing fundraising activities to support Palestinian charities.

The Saudi court sentenced the Hamas representative in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed al-Khoudary, to 15 years in prison, while his son Hani was sentenced to three years, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish news agency quoted Abd al-Majid, Khoudary's brother, as saying that the final sentence against the older Khoudary includes a "clemency for half the term [7½ years]."

The detainees have been held in Saudi prisons since April 2019, but according to a support group in Jordan they and their families never saw a charge sheet against them. Khader Mashayekh, head of the committee for Jordanian prisoners in Saudi Arabia, told the London-based Middle East Eye that the Saudis held the prisoners under difficult conditions, not allowing doctors to visit them despite some of them contracting the coronavirus or arranging family visits.