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Saudi Officer Physically And Verbally Abuses Migrants

On May 28, 2013

Video of a Saudi officer belting migrants at a passport office surfaced only two days ago, but has already gone viral with over 800,000 views and 5,000 comments. The officer, in an apparent attempt to "organize" the crowd, also shouts at men and women - calling one individual a dog and brusquely yelling for the rest to 'get up.'

Migrants who seek to legalize their status are purportedly safe from fines or penalties, but such incidents exacerbate mistrust of authorities and discourage migrants from taking advantage of the grace period. That a state official committed such dehumanizing acts in a public, bureaucratic space demonstrates the profound normalization of abuse against migrants. Migrant Rights urges Saudi officials to investigate this incident and to take steps to prevent further administrative mistreatment of migrant workers.

(Thanks @BintBattuta87 for linking us to the video)