Related
Stories
Security
forces have detained a number of protesters in eastern Saudi Arabia, state
media report.
The arrests
took place in the city of Qatif after "rioters" set tyres on fire
during an overnight demonstration, an interior ministry statement said.
It said
there were no casualties, but witnesses said several people were wounded when
police opened fire.
Among those
detained was Mohammed al-Shakouri, described by the interior ministry as a
wanted fugitive.
In January,
he was among 23 men named as suspects in connection with the disturbances in
Eastern Province.
They were
accused of possessing illegal weapons, opening fire on the public and police,
and of serving "foreign agendas".
The
demonstration in Qatif was organised to demand the release of political
detainees, including the Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Two people
were killed at a rally against his arrest earlier this month. Witnesses said
they were protesters who had been shot dead by police, but the interior ministry
denied that there had been any clashes.
The
oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained
of marginalisation at the hands of the Sunni ruling family.
Protests
erupted in the region in March 2011 when a popular uprising in neighbouring
Bahrain, which has a Shia majority and a Sunni royal family, was crushed with
the assistance of Saudi and other Gulf troops.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.