Human Rights Watch says Saudi authorities deported 12,000 Somalis, some with lives at risk

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Human Rights Watch says Saudi authorities have deported more than 12,000 migrants to Somalia since the beginning of the year, among them hundreds of women and children.

The New York-based rights group is calling on the Saudi government to end the summary deportations, especially since some Somalis have been sent back home to areas where their lives are at risk.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday that it spoke to Somalis who were recently deported who say they were held for weeks in "appalling conditions." A pregnant woman was among several who say they were beaten in detention.

The International Organization for Migration says the Somali government expects Saudi Arabia to deport another 30,000 people. The deportations are part of a Saudi campaign to remove undocumented foreign workers.