written by Staff
Sunday March 20, 2011
Security forces in Saudi Arabia arrested several people demonstrating at the Interior Ministry Sunday, putting them in police cars and buses to take them away, witnesses said.
Around 100 men had gathered to protest at the government office in the capital Riyadh, said activist Mohammed Al-Qahtani and another witness who did not want to be named to protect his safety.
The demonstrators were demanding the release of imprisoned relatives, the second such protest in as many weeks.
"They arrested a lot of people," said Al-Qahtani. "They started putting them in police cars and even buses to take them away."
Police dispersed the rest of the crowd, chasing some down alleyways, the two people said.
The Saudi government did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia has seen less unrest than many other Arab countries this year, but there have been a few small demonstrations amid growing dissatisfaction in the oil-rich U.S. ally.
Saudi King Abdullah promised a major package of reforms last week, but reform activists responded with disappointment Friday.
Other than a pledge to set up an anti-corruption agency, the activists said, King Abdullah promised little to meet their demands. Instead, the long list of new measures simply expands powers for the kingdom and the religious establishment.
"I feel disappointed, to say the least," said one Saudi activist who did not give his name for fear of reprisals. "I do believe after these decrees, instead of sweeping reforms, they'll start sweeping up the activists. I'm afraid there will be a crackdown on activists here."
After the king made his rare short speech, his spokesman went on the air for more than half an hour to announce the list of reforms -- one of which involves sanctions for any member of the media who does not respect the views of Muslim scholars and the Quran.
Other measures promise billions of dollars in housing for Saudi citizens, new hospitals and medical centers, and the refurbishment of public spaces.
Al-Qahtani, of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, said Friday the financial package was the easiest thing to propose.
"It's basically trying to buy out people so they won't go out into the streets," Al-Qahtani said. "It supports these repressive mechanisms."
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King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (born August 1, 1923) is the current King of Saudi Arabia.
On August 1, 2005, he succeeded to the throne upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. Previously, as Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1996 to 2005. He has been Commander of Saudi Arabian National Guard from 1962 to November 2010. He is one of the world's wealthiest royals.
In May 1982, when Fahd became King, Abdullah became Crown Prince the same day.
As Crown Prince, he had acted as de facto regent ruler of Saudi Arabia since January 1, 1996, when King Fahd was incapacitated by a major stroke.
King Abdullah's half brother Crown Prince Sultan is his designated successor. The apparent next in line is Sultan's full brother, Prince Nayef.
In 2006, Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council, a body that is composed of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. The council's mandate will not start until after the reigns of Abdullah and Sultan are over. It is not clear, however, what would happen if Sultan were to die before the end of Abdullah's reign, leaving a question as to whether the council would vote for a new crown prince or whether Nayef would automatically fill that position.
On November 2010, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz chaired a cabinet meeting because of the deterioration of the King's health During the same month, King Abdullah transferred his duties as Commander of the Saudi National Guard to his son Prince Mutaib. Abdullah is credited with building up the once largely ceremonial unit into a modern 260,000-strong force that is a counterweight to the army. The Guard, which was Abdullah's original power base, protects the royal family. This was suggested as an apparent sign that the elderly monarch is beginning to lessen some of his duties. [source: wikipedia]
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