Saudi Arabia: the troubles in Qatif

Saudis hold funeral for killed protester amid soaring tensions

Tensions are escalating in Saudi Arabia as people hold a funeral ceremony for a man killed during as protest against the arrest of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

Press TV,

11 July, 2012

New pictures surfaced on Wednesday showed people in the city of Awamiyah, in the restive Eastern Province, holding a funeral for Akbar Hassan Shakhouri.

On July 8, Saudi security forces in Qatif opened fire on demonstrators, who were protesting against the detention of al-Nemr. Saudi forces shot and killed Shakhouri and two others during the protest. Many others were injured in the attack.

Earlier in the day, al-Nemr was injured when regime forces fired at his car in Awamiyah. There has been no word on his condition or whereabouts.

Since February 2011, Saudi protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the Eastern Province, mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

Similar demonstrations have also been held in the capital Riyadh and the holy city of Medina over the past few weeks.

However, the demonstrations turned into protests against the regime of the House of Saud, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the Eastern Province.

The Saudi Interior Ministry issued a statement on March 5, 2011, prohibiting “all forms of demonstrations, marches or protests, and calls for them, because that contradicts the principles of the Islamic sharia, the values and traditions of Saudi society, and results in disturbing public order and harming public and private interests.”

In June, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered the country’s security forces to go on a state of high alert due to what he called a “turbulent situation” in the region.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.”

Thousands rally after death of protester in Saudi Arabia

RT,

11 July, 2012

Demonstrators have spilled on to the streets of the eastern Saudi city of Qatif, angered by the death of a man during the latest bout of protests in the country.

Mohamed al-Felfel was one of two men shot dead on July after protests broke out following the arrest of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Activists say the two men were killed by police snipers stationed on rooftops – an allegation the Saudi Interior Ministry denies.

Videos posted online showed avenues filled with rows of chanting mourners. Other videos showed youths throwing incendiary devices at what appeared to be a police car, and rocks at a government building.

Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province is home to a Shiite population that has long complained of discrimination by the Sunni ruling family – yet another claim the government dismisses as groundless.

Shiite community leaders have appealed for calm, urging people to avoid involvement in situations that could get out of hand and lead to bloodshed. They also appealed to security forces to exercise restraint and patience, which will help the community get through a “dangerous and critical period.”

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has largely escaped the Arab Spring that forced leaders in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen out of power. But in neighboring Bahrain, similar protests have been going on for months, with Shiite majorities demanding political reforms from the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family.