Saudi forces raid ancient Shia-populated eastern village

Saudi regime forces have stormed an ancient village in the country’s Shia-dominated Eastern Province, cutting off the electricity to homes despite local opposition.

The power outage on Wednesday hit the 400-year-old village of al-Maswarah, home to 2,000 residents.

The Saudi officials are said to be seeking to tear down the homes belonging to Maswarah’s poor locals under the pretext of developing the region.

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights NGO criticized the Saudi attack as “illegal.”

The NGO also called on the Riyadh regime to avoid taking any measures against the Shia population and allow them to decide whether to stay or leave the village. It further urged the authorities to help locals afford replacement homes.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage said the Eastern Province governor’s office stressed that Maswarah and similar ancient villages should not be demolished as such raids were inconsistent with the instructions for preserving historic sites.