Hundreds of people carrying placards staged a protest on Friday night urging Saudi regime to respect the grand cleric’s right to freedom, who has long been held in custody without trial.

Protestors designated the demonstration day as Youm al-Namur, “Day of Namers”.

They chanted slogans against the Saudi government and called for the fall of the “oppressing regime”.

Sheikh Namer was attacked, injured and arrested by Saudi security forces en route to his house in Qatif on July 8, 2012.

The cleric had called for the release of all those detained in protests against the Saudi regime, and all the prisoners of conscience. His arrest sparked several protests in Saudi Arabia with thousands of people pouring to the streets and condemning the act.

Saudi protesters also denounced regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters, and announced Mohammad bin Nayef, Saudi Interior Minister, responsible for massacre of regime’s opponents.

Underlining the need for continuing protest rallies, the demonstrators called for prosecuting those who were accomplice in crackdown of people.

More than 40,000 political prisoners, mostly prisoners of conscience, are in jails across Saudi Arabia.

According to the activists, most of the detained political thinkers are being held by the government without trial or legitimate charges and have been arrested for merely looking suspicious.

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.

NTJ/SHI