Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday confirmed plans to release some detainees held for security reasons after they repented and, after following a counseling program, decided to return to the right path. He emphasized however that the government would not set free those militants arrested for planning terrorist attacks across the country. âThey are still under investigation and will be transferred to court for trial,â the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.
Prince Naif said the ministryâs counseling program, which started two years ago, was aimed at providing advice to those held in connection with security incidents that had taken place in the country in recent years. âA number of prominent scholars, intellectuals, social scientists and psychiatrists are taking part in the program. They meet the detainees to convince them of the danger of their deviant thoughts in order to return them to the true Islamic path,â the minister said. Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a member of the Shoura Council, who has actively taken part in the counseling program, recently disclosed the governmentâs plan to release some of the detainees, who repented of their wrongdoings.
âExperts involved in the counseling program have realized its effectiveness in changing the mind of the detainees and observed improvement in their behavior, desire to accept advice and return to the right path,â Prince Naif said, adding that families of the released detainees would be asked to give them proper attention. |