Mass funerals held for activists killed in S Arabia

Mass funerals held for activists killed in S Arabia
Thu Jun 27, 2013 17:23:08

Thousands of Saudi people have attended the funeral of two activists who were killed by regime forces in the country's Eastern Province.

The funerals were held in the town of Awamiyah and the Qatif region on Wednesday.

The mourners slammed the regime’s deadly crackdown on the country's uprising and chanted slogans against the ruling Al Saud family.

On June 23, Saudi police opened fire at and seriously injured Morsi Ali Ibrahim al-Rabah when trying to arrest him over allegations of involvement in anti-regime protests. Rabah, who was on a list of 23 activists wanted in connection with protests in Awamiyah, died of his injuries in hospital. He was the 18th victim of the Saudi crackdown on the protesters in Qatif since 2011.

On June 21, regime forces also killed a teenager during a raid on the houses of anti-regime activists in the village of al-Tubi in Qatif. Police shot the 19-year-old in the head and shoulder.

In Saudi Arabia, protests and political gatherings of any kind are prohibited.

Many political prisoners are held in detention across Saudi Arabia.

The families and relatives of political prisoners have held several public gatherings in major cities, including Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and Buraidah.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, primarily 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 Al Saud regime, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in Eastern Province.

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

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