Anti-state protests persist in S Arabia

Saudi anti-government protesters have once again taken to the streets east of the country, condemning the kingdom's military intervention in Bahrain.


Expressing solidarity with anti-government protesters in Bahrain, demonstrators in the city of Qatif called for the immediate withdrawal of Saudi troops from the neighboring country.

Saudi Arabia deployed 1,000 troops to Bahrain in efforts to help the ruling despotic family in its brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

Muslims around the world have denounced the Saudi-led crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain comes despite the conventions of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council that ban any interference in the internal affairs of a regional country.

Saudi Arabia's oil-producing east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past weeks.

Last month, a Saudi-based human rights group said that authorities have arrested 100 protesters for taking part in or organizing anti-government demonstrations.

Human Rights First Society (HRFS) also revealed that some of the detainees were subject to torture both physically and mentally.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki refused to comment on the report.

Saudi Arabia's large but minority Shia population complain of wide discrimination against them, insisting that they are treated as second-class citizens and have to struggle to obtain senior-level jobs as well as benefits commonly available to other citizens.

The government of Saudi Arabia denies such charges.

In Saudi Arabia, protest rallies and any public displays of dissent are considered illegal. Senior Wahhabi clerics in the kingdom have also censured opposition demonstrations as "un-Islamic."