Saudis investigate Twitter baby abuse video case By Lamia Estatie

BBC Monitoring Published duration 12 January 2017

image copyright Getty Images image caption Social media use has increased in Saudi Arabia in recent years

Saudi authorities are investigating after being alerted by a viral video allegedly showing a woman's ex-husband physically abusing their baby girl.

The Syrian woman shared the footage on Twitter, after reportedly receiving it from her Saudi former partner to compel her to come back to him.

As a result of her appeal, an Arabic hashtag backing the mother was tweeted more than 118,000 times in 24 hours.

Officials say the three-month-old has now been taken into care.

The mother has gained more than 14,000 followers as the Arabic-language hashtag #Mother_wants_her_daughter_back_in_her_arms has gained traction on social media.

One of the videos showed the man beating and smothering the baby.

Another showed him slapping the baby repeatedly while she cries and then vigorously shaking her head. One image also showed a lit cigarette held near the baby's face while she sleeps.

The Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the Human Rights Commission have since told the mother that they are following up on the case.

A ministry spokesman said that the infant is in the care of protection services in Mecca for a medical check and "necessary action will be taken to protect the child".

The mother thanked the authorities for their efforts but did not specify on her Twitter account whether her daughter has been handed back to her.

Earlier, she dispelled reports that she had her daughter back after a picture was circulated on another account and videos were shared on Twitter showing the same child being handed over to a woman.

A ministry spokesman said that the infant is in the care of protection services in Mecca for a medical check and "necessary action will be taken to protect the child".

The mother, interviewed on Saudi network Al-Arabiya TV, said that her former husband was abusive towards her throughout their four-year marriage and that she escaped to her family living in Mecca and divorced him.

Her family made her give up her daughter to the father so that she could formally seek custody of her via the courts, she said.

According to the mother, her ex-husband sent her the abusive clips, telling her "either you come back to me, or I kill her".

She said on 11 January that she would have approached the police if she could have, but that she is a foreigner in the kingdom who married without obtaining the special "permission" required to wed a Saudi.

Saudi nationals usually need special permission from the government to take a non-Saudi spouse.