Protesting against Saudi Arabian govt lands man behind bars for 30 years
24 Dec 2013 12:07 AM GMT
The defendant, whose name was not given, was found guilty of taking part in protests in Qatif in Eastern Province and calling for the withdrawal of Saudi forces sent to Bahrain. Saudis helped Bahraini security forces to crush a Shia-led uprising demanding democratic reforms in Sunni-ruled but Shia-majority Bahrain in March 2011. The defendant was charged with throwing petrol bombs at security forces who intervened to disperse protests in Qatif, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.
It said both the accused and the prosecutor, who had demanded the death penalty, will appeal. Protests first erupted in Eastern Province, where the majority of the kingdom’s two million Shias are concentrated, in March 2011. Ten people were killed in a series of clashes with security forces, and the fighting intensified after the arrest in July last year of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, considered to be a driving force behind the protests. However, tensions eased when seven Shia dignitaries from Qatif hailed a call by King Abdullah for the creation of a centre for Sunni-Shia interfaith dialogue.
It said both the accused and the prosecutor, who had demanded the death penalty, will appeal. Protests first erupted in Eastern Province, where the majority of the kingdom’s two million Shias are concentrated, in March 2011. Ten people were killed in a series of clashes with security forces, and the fighting intensified after the arrest in July last year of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, considered to be a driving force behind the protests. However, tensions eased when seven Shia dignitaries from Qatif hailed a call by King Abdullah for the creation of a centre for Sunni-Shia interfaith dialogue.
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