Amnesty International urges Riyadh to free 15 protesters

 Amnesty International has called on Saudi authorities to either release the 15 men arrested during a protest in the capital Riyadh, or charge them with a ‘recognizable offense based on legitimate grounds’.

“Saudi authorities must release all those detained on Tuesday’s protest or charge them with recognizable criminal offenses if there are legitimate reasons for doing so,” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement released on Wednesday.
He added, “Participating in a peaceful protest or appearing to criticize state authorities for the treatment of detained relatives would never be a legitimate reason for arrest and detention.”

On Tuesday, dozens of Saudi protesters gathered in front of the country’s human rights commission in Riyadh, demanding the release or immediate trial of their imprisoned relatives.

One woman, who took part in the rally, said the demonstrators were protesting the “prolonged detention of [their] detained relatives without charge or trial, the ill-treatment they are subjected to in detention, and the lack of medical attention they receive.”

Police detained 15 men for their involvement in the protest. Witnesses said that 22 women and children were also arrested, but were later released.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Eastern Province, mainly in Qatif and the town of Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have 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 the province.

Saudi forces have also arrested dozens of people including prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

The country’s official warned in October that they would deal “firmly” with anti-regime demonstrations. Amnesty International slammed the warning, and urged the authorities to “withdraw their threat.”