24 Young Saudi Protestors on Trial, 18 Face Death Penalty

The criminal court of the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah has put 24 young prisoners on trial on a charge of participating in peaceful demonstrations, a Saudi activist announced, saying 18 of the inmates are facing the death penalty.

Hamza al-Shakhuri said in his Twitter account that the prisoners on trial are aged between 20 and 30.

The Al Saud’s prosecutor general has demanded the maximum penalty, namely capital punishment, for 18 convicts, he noted.

According to Shakhuri, the young defendants are from al-Qatif, al-Awamiyah, Tarout, Safwa and other regions, in east of the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s regime has a record of suppressing the opposition groups and arresting political dissidents.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah in Eastern Province, despite a deadly crackdown by the regime.