Middle East - Saudi Arabia: After his arrest in 2020, Mohammed bin Nayef, former Saudi Crown Prince, was subjected to acts of torture, including being suspended upside down by his ankles, an American daily newspaper reported.

The New York Times indicated, in a report published on Sunday, that a Saudi princess, a critic of her country’s government who was jailed nearly three years ago after publicly questioning government policy, has been released, a legal adviser to her family said on Sunday.

The princess, Basmah bint Saud, returned home on Thursday with her daughter Suhoud al-Sharif, who was imprisoned with her, according to the legal adviser, Henri Estramant.

The newspaper added that a number of prominent people, including two sons of the previous monarch, King Abdullah, remain in detention, according to their associates, and information continues to come to light about the mistreatment of some detainees.

The most prominent is Mohammed bin Nayef, a former interior minister whom Prince Mohammed ousted as crown prince in 2017 to claim the title for himself, the report added. After his removal, Mohammed bin Nayef was put under house arrest until March 2020, when he was arrested and detained.

At the start of his detention, Mohammed bin Nayef was held in solitary confinement, deprived of sleep and suspended upside down by his ankles, The New York Times quoted two people briefed on his situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Last fall, he was moved to a villa inside the complex surrounding the king’s Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, the capital, where he remains, the people said.

Mohammed bin Nayef is kept by himself with no television or other electronic devices and receives only limited visits from his family, the people said. He appears to have sustained lasting damage to his ankles from his treatment in detention and cannot walk without a cane.

The government has not filed formal charges against him or explained why he is detained. Most Saudi experts assume that it is because Prince Mohammed fears he could impede Prince Mohammed’s quest to become the next Saudi king.

A spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment about Princess Basmah or Mohammed bin Nayef.