RIYADH (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Saudi Wahhabi authorities have freed 13 Shia activists detained for taking part in demonstrations calling for the release of jailed relatives in the oil-producing east, activists said on Wednesday.
Minority Shias have staged protests in the eastern province to demand the release of prisoners and also to call on political reforms in the monarchy. Police dispersed several marches and made arrests for defying a ban on demonstrations.
“They released 13 people. They have been releasing people every week since the protests,” said Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, head of the independent Human Rights First Society. A Shia activist said 12 people were still held in jail.
“They might be released next week. The government keeps them to ensure that there will be no more demonstrations,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry declined to comment. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that has no elected parliament and does not tolerate any form of dissent.
The world’s top oil producer has escaped the kind of mass uprisings that have rocked the Arab world this year. Saudi Shias complain of discrimination and injustice.
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