Saudi Arabia's new Al Haer maximum security prison, viewed to the west, near sunset. The prison's project manager told CBC it is the most secure prison in the world. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Nancy Durham filming in Riyadh, wearing a traditional abaya. (Seamus Mirodan/Insight News TV)

The National will present Nancy Durham's documentary about Saudi Arabia's rehabilitation program for ex-jihadis who've done time for terrorism-related charges.

I went to Saudi Arabia to produce a report about a rehabilitation programme for extremists run by the Ministry of the Interior. It is aimed at junior jihadis and some participants have committed terrible crimes. Candidates have done their time in prison, typically for joining the insurgency in Iraq or for inciting others to fight, often through the internet. Others have been sent home from the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The rehabilitation program involves art therapy and attending religious education classes, psychological classes and reconnecting with family members. But that's another story, coming soon.

Towards the end of my stay in Saudi Arabia I asked my minder from the Ministry of the Interior if I could take some external shots of a prison where hard-core jihadis are locked up. I wanted to show the alternative for jihadis who refuse to recant their views.

Maj. Omer Al-Kahtani of the Saudi Arabian ministry of the interior arranged the prison visit. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

In response, Major Omer Al-Kahtani delivered an inside tour of the country's newest prison. It's located at Al Haer, south of Riyadh, next to the infamous older Al Haer prison. The new Al Haer is a sprawling compound on a bleak desert landscape and it is so new it didn't yet have inmates. No matter; for a journalist to see inside a Saudi prison is rare and I jumped at the opportunity.

A "more than maximum" tour

Mohammad Mardini, director of the Al Haer prison project, walks by one of the mauve cell doors. Mardini says he chose mauve because it is a cool colour, good for easing tensions. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

When we arrived at sunset an eager committee was there to welcome us. Our tour was led by a Lebanese architect, Mohammad Mardini from Beirut, whose business card says "Project Manager, Security Buildings for the Ministry of Interior" (Saudi Arabia). He told me Al Haer is the most secure prison in the world, "more than maximum security."

Al Haer, built to accommodate 1,200 inmates, is bright, airy and filled with light. Even though we walked the long corridors at night I found the artificial lighting easy on my eyes and the high-ceilinged cells not at all claustrophobic. Each cell has a flat screen television, high up on the wall, with 20 available channels. An intercom allows inmates to buzz a guard to request a channel change. During my visit, a prayer channel was on, echoing throughout the empty prison.

This cell will hold four inmates. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Al Haer is air-conditioned, has facilities for disabled inmates, and clean water in every cell. The toilet has a barricade for privacy. There is a window in each cell, high up. Again and again Mardini told me his design includes, "natural light and air ventilation, all according to Human Rights Watch" (HRW). I asked him if he had consulted with HRW; he said he had not, but that he does read their documents.

Human Rights Watch's view

It is clear Mardini wants to provide the highest possible standard of living to inmates. Whether the Saudis will have human rights in mind when they make use of Al Haer's 42 spacious and bright interrogation rooms is another matter. HRW has written volumes about prison conditions but it does not issue guidelines on prison design. The Human Rights Watch representative I called for comment sounded rather surprised but pleased that his group's concerns have been noted. Christoph Wilcke specializes in Saudi Arabia for HRW and he regards the new prison as an opportunity not to be wasted. "Building new prisons should give Saudi Arabia the capacity to implement some minimum standards of hygiene and separation of inmates. But more important than that will be the question of whether Saudi Arabian authorities show a real willingness to stop abuses inside prisons and to prosecute the officials who beat and otherwise maltreat the inmates."

Wilcke has made representations to Saudi officials and he is especially concerned about some of the older facilities around the country. "There's a terrible deportation centre at the old Jeddah airport [with] no running water, cockroaches and rats on the floor, very little food if at all, and no closed toilet. People have died in there from the conditions. There's no air conditioning in the summer".

This prison corridor at Al Haer shows its 'cool' mauve theme. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Mauve walls and "mating rooms"

The new prison at Al Haer is a world apart. For a prison, it is surprisingly serene. Cell doors and iron gates are painted mauve. Everything else is a soft creamy white. Mardini told me he chose mauve because it is a cool colour, good for easing tensions. Never the colour red.

Prison project director Mardini shows a window that allows guards to see inside the cell. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Al Haer is equipped with what Mardini calls "mating rooms", for conjugal visits. They are furnished with double beds and comfortable chairs. Prisoners are allowed two 24-hour conjugal visits each month.

Mardini pointed to one cell and said it was a VIP cell. I assumed he was joking, proud of its spaciousness and relatively agreeable decor, but when he said it a second time I asked what he meant. "For members of the royal family" he said. Incredulous, I asked, "really"? He confirmed this adding, "We even have an apartment with rooms" for more senior family members.

A view through the food delivery hatch into a cell. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

State of the art security

Master control has 25 television screens to monitor inmates. There are cameras everywhere, except inside cells, and each camera stores 15 days' memory. The perimeter wall is seven metres high, topped with barbed wire. Just inside the wall is the latest in perimeter security, an invisible microwave detection system that senses human movement. There are primary and secondary security systems, a back up for every eventuality.

Al Haer has a state-of-the-art master control room where all prison movement is monitored with 25 screens. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

Although Al Haer is a state-of-the-art maximum-security facility, some inmates will stay for only a short time: for example, junior jihadis who show a willingness to change their outlook. However, all jihadis are eligible for religious rehabilitation classes inside the prison.

Those guilty of lesser, jihad-related crimes (e.g. attempting to join the insurgency in neighbouring Iraq, or promoting jihad on the internet, as opposed to a violent attack upon the Kingdom itself) may find they're soon enrolled in a rehabilitation programme at a relaxed detention centre closer to Riyadh, where detainees continue with religious studies, participate in art therapy, swim and play volleyball. After a couple of months there, they will be free.

Inmates will be taught the Saudi government-approved version of the Koran in this prison classroom. (Nancy Durham/CBC)

On the night I left Al Haer, Saudi authorities announced the arrest of 208 suspected terrorists in the Kingdom. Maj. Omer told me they will "definitely" be among the prison's first occupants.