Saudi Wahhabi security forces have arrested nine Shiite people in the town of Awamiyah in Eastern Province, which has been the scene of anti-regime protests for over two years.
The forces arrested nine men on Monday after getting information about their whereabouts in Awamiyah, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
"Security forces raided their hideout and arrested them," the spokesman said.
According to the Interior Ministry, the detainees are accused of instigating anti-government protests in Awamiyah in 2012.
The spokesman claimed that all of the men were wanted in criminal cases, including drug trafficking.
There have been numerous demonstrations in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province since February 2011, with protestors calling for political reform.
Activists say there are over 40,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, many of them being held without trial or charges.
In October 2012, Amnesty International called on the Saudi authorities to stop using excessive force against pro-democracy protestors.
“The Saudi authorities must end their repeated moves to stifle people’s attempts to protest against the widespread use of arbitrary detention in the country,” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, said on October 16.
“The right of people to peaceful protest must be respected and the security forces must refrain from detaining or using excessive force against people who exercise it,” he added.
Around two million Shia Muslims live in Saudi Arabia; the Shia community is dissatisfied with the discriminatory behavior of the ruling Sunni authorities.
