There's a horrific story on al-Arabiya's website which claims that a Saudi religious scholar who is also a "well-known" TV preacher tortured his five-year-old daughter to death.

The girl died a few days ago in a Riyadh hospital "after weeks of suffering from broken arms, a skull fracture and head bruises", al-Arabiya says, quoting her mother.

"The medical report indicated that Lamaa was tortured with whips and electric shocks. She was even burned with an iron, the mother said.

"The hospital matron said the man admitted to beating his daughter, but did not explain why."

According to the report, the parents are divorced and had an agreement about sharing the care of their daughter.

In al-Arabiya's story, the dead girl is identified only by her first name – Lamaa – and neither parent is named. The story, as it stands, is rather thin on verified facts and should probably be treated with some caution at this stage.

However, the story does indicate that a public prosecutor in Hotat Bani Tamim, 160km south of Riyadh, is aware of the case – which raises the question of what (if anything) the Saudi authorities are doing about it. 

What steps are they taking to ascertain if the mother's account is correct? And if it is, what action will they take against the girl's father?

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 12 November 2012.