Saudi opens probe over security forces filmed beating women

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Saudi government says it has opened an investigation after videos purportedly showed security forces beating women at an orphanage in the kingdom’s southwest. The governor of Saudi Arabia’s Asir region formed a committee to probe the beatings captured in the online video on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear what led to the incident or when it took place. In the footage from an orphanage in the city of Khamis Mushait, security officials hold down women in black abayas while uniformed security forces lash them with leather belts and wooden sticks. The videos spread rapidly online, stirring outrage.