Saudi forces raid houses in Shia-majority Qatif region, detain ten young men

Saudi forces have reportedly raided houses in the kingdom’s Shia-majority and oil-rich Eastern Province and arrested nearly a dozen young men.

The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) said in a statement that Saudi troops onboard armored vehicles stormed residential buildings in Hafar al-Batin city, al-Awamiyah town and Umm al-Hamam village of Qatif region on Monday morning and detained ten youths.

Saudi Arabia has stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution, and conviction of peaceful dissident writers and human rights campaigners, in particular in Eastern Province.

The province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination against the region.