Saudi Arabia said it arrested several "troublemakers" in its oil-rich Eastern Province while an activist said police wounded and detained protestors there after a peaceful demonstration. Among those arrested was Mohamed al-Shakhouri, one of 23 people wanted by the security forces, the official Saudi Press Agency quoted an Interior Ministry spokesman as saying.
The activist, who said he witnessed the unrest but declined to be named for fear of retaliation from the authorities, told Reuters that protestors marched for three hours in Qatif city. Some minority Shi'ite Muslims in the area complain of official neglect and discrimination, which the government denies.
Most of the country's Shi'ites live in the Eastern Province and some complain their religious ceremonies are banned or interfered with by Sunni authorities, and that they lack opportunities for work and education.
The government has pointed to efforts to include Shi'ites in a "national dialogue" started by King Abdullah last decade, the appointment of Shi'ites to an advisory Shoura Council and a relaxation of policy to allow them more freedom to worship. It views protests among its Shi'ite minority in the context of tensions with Shi'ite power and regional rival Iran, which it accuses of fomenting the unrest. It says it has only used force when its security forces have been physically attacked. Reuters)