Prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr (shown) was attacked and arrested in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on July 8.

 

Demonstrators took to the streets in Safwa, which is located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of the Qatif region in the Eastern Province, on Tuesday.

Protesters chanted slogans against the Riyadh regime, calling for the downfall of the Al Saud family.

The demonstration was held after the funeral of the wife of prominent detained Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

The demonstrators in Safwa also demanded the release of Sheikh Nemr, who was attacked, injured and arrested by the security forces of the Al Saud regime while driving from a farm to his house in Qatif on July 8.

On July 22, the family members of Sheikh Nemr were allowed to visit the cleric for a second time since his arrest.

On July 13, Saudi security forces in the town of Awamiyah killed an 18-year-old protester during a demonstration held near a police station in support of Sheikh Nemr.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah in Eastern Province, primarily 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 Al Saud regime, especially since November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in Eastern Province.

Similar demonstrations have also been held in the capital, Riyadh, and the holy city of Medina over the past weeks.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.”