Saudis have staged fresh protests in the eastern city of Qatif, demanding the release of dissident Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
The protestors chanted slogans in support of the cleric, held in detention since July 2012, as they marched in the streets of the volatile city on Thursday.
Sheikh al-Nimr was shot and arrested by regime forces for criticizing the country’s ruling family.
His family members, after being allowed to visit him in prison, said he has been badly tortured in jail. Nimr’s sister has recently said through her Twitter account that prison authorities are denying her brother medical care.
On Wednesday, two Shia Muslims were sentenced to prison on charges of attending demonstrations in Qatif.
The sentences, which were issued by a court in Eastern Province, were among verdicts in the case of five men accused of holding anti-government protest rallies.
On Saturday, the court began the trials of an unspecified number of Shias on similar charges.
Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in the kingdom's east, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.
However, the demonstrations turned into protests against the repressive Al Saud regime, especially since November 2011 when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in Eastern Province.
Activists say there are over 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.
In October 2012, Amnesty International called on the Saudi authorities to stop using excessive force against pro-democracy protestors.
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