Police in the eastern city of Qatif opened fire on protesters and beat them with batons at a protest on Thursday, resulting in at least three people being injured. The protest was held to demand the release of prisoners that demonstrators say are being held without charge. The Saudi interior ministry recently announced that all protests are illegal and security forces would use any measures to stop them from going ahead.
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has announced a ban on all protests and marches in the kingdom, warning that security forces will come down hard on any demonstrators. Thousands of additional troops have been sent to the restive eastern province of the country. The statement came as opponents of the government called for a “day of rage” on Friday 11 March.
Saudi Arabia’s already restricted cyberspace is now subject to new regulation that allows the state to directly supervise and control internet material. The law passed on 1 January 2011 requires anyone wishing to post material on-line to obtain a press license and to abide by content limitation regulations which ban “offending others”, “compromising the economy or security” and disobedience to Islamic Law. The Saudi authorities regularly harass journalists who challenge the states policies. Law professor Mohammed Abdallah Al-Abdulkarim was detained in early December 2010 after writing an article on-line in criticism of the government.
Mohammed Abdallah Al-Abdulkarim, a law professor at Imam Mohammed bin Saud University, was detained on 5 December after he wrote an article alleging disagreements within the Saudi royal family. Al-Abdulkarim’s article for Royaah.net also detailed King Abdullah’s travel to the United States for medical reasons. The professor is currently being held in Al-Hair prison in Riyadh.