The protests in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

were part of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

that started with the 2011

Tunisian revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

. Protests started with a

self-immolation The term self-immolation broadly refers to acts of altruistic suicide, otherwise the giving up of one's body in an act of sacrifice. However, it most often refers specifically to autocremation, the act of sacrificing oneself by setting oneself o ...

Samtah Samtah (also Romanized as Şāmitah or Samta; in Arabic صامطة) is a town and sub-division in Jizan Province, in southwestern Saudi Arabia.National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. GeoNames database entry.search Accessed 13 May 2011. In March ...

and

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

street protests in late January 2011. Protests against anti-Shia discrimination followed in February and early March in

Qatif Qatif or Al-Qatif ( ar, ٱلْقَطِيف ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the ...

Hofuf Al-Hofuf ( ar, ٱلْهُفُوف ', also spelled Hofuf or Hufuf, also known as "Al-Hasa", "Al-Ahsa" or "Al-Hassa") is the major urban city in the Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a population of 858,395 (as of 202 ...

al-Awamiyah Al-Awamiyah, also spelled Awamia, ( ar, العوامية ') is a town situated in the Al-Qatif region in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. , it has a population of about 25,500 people. Al-Awamiyah is bordered by the Al-Ramis farms to the e ...

, and

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

. A Facebook organiser of a planned 11 March "Day of Rage", Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad, was allegedly killed by Saudi security forces on 2 March, with several hundred people protesting in Qatif, Hofuf and al-Amawiyah on the day itself.

Khaled al-Johani Khaled al-Johani (also ''al-Jehani'', Arabic: خالد الجهني, born 23rd August1971 {{51) is a teacher of religious instruction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was imprisoned, without charges or trial for nearly one year, at ʽUlaysha Prison for ...

demonstrated alone in Riyadh, was interviewed by

BBC Arabic Television BBC News Arabic ( ar, بي بي سي نيوز عربي), formerly BBC Arabic Television, is a television news channel broadcast to the Arab World by the BBC. It was launched on 11 March 2008. It is run by the BBC World Service and funded from the ...

, was detained in

ʽUlaysha Prison ʽUlaysha Prison (also ''ʽUlaisha'', ''Alisha'', ''Olisha'', ) is a prison in Riyadh run by the Saudi Arabian secret police agency Mabahith for arbitrary detention. During the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests, "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia", K ...

, and became known online as "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia". Many protests over human rights took place in April 2011 in front of government ministry buildings in

Ta'if Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...

and

Tabuk Tabuk may refer to: *Tabuk, Kalinga, the capital city of Kalinga province of the Philippines *Tabuk Province, a province of Saudi Arabia **Tabuk, Saudi Arabia Tabuk ( ar, تَبُوْك '), also spelled ''Tabouk'', is the capital city of the Tab ...

and in January 2012 in Riyadh. In 2011,

Nimr al-Nimr Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr ( ar, نمر باقر النمر, Nimr Bāqir an-Nimr, Bakir al-Nimr, al-Nemr, al-Namr, al-Nimer, al-Nemer, al-Namer; 21 June 1959 – 2 January 2016), commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr, was a Shia sheikh in ...

encouraged his supporters in

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, cons ...

. Anti-government protests demanding release of prisoners held without charge or trial continued in April and May 2011 in Qatif, al-Awamiyah and Hofuf in the Eastern Province, and extended to calls for the

Peninsula Shield Force The Peninsula Shield Force (or ''Peninsula Shield''; ar, دِرْعُ الجَزيرَة, Dirʿ al-Jazīra) is the military arm of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is intended to deter, and respond to military aggression against any of t ...

to be withdrawn from

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

and for the Eastern Province to have a constitution and a legislature. Four protesters were shot dead by Saudi authorities in late November in Qatif region protests and funerals, two on 2012 January 13 and two on 9 and 10 February 2012. In the early 2012 demonstrations, protesters chanted slogans against the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

and

Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

, Nayef, calling Nayef a "terrorist", "criminal" and "butcher" and throwing an

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

of Nayef at tanks. Police described two of the fatal shootings as responses to unidentified gunmen who had shot first. Eastern Province protests intensified after Sheikh

was wounded in the leg and arrested by police on 8 July. Four men were killed in a protest immediately following the arrest, with several funerals and protests following, including calls for the downfall of the

. While detained, al-Nimr was tortured and started a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

, he was later executed in the 2016 mass execution. Protest organisers insisted on the use of

and called for all Shia and Sunni detainees to be freed. A protester and a soldier were fatally shot in Qatif during a 3–4 August protest, leading to more protests. Protests and

sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...

s calling for

political prisoners A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...

to be released spread beyond the Eastern Province to protests at the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

in Riyadh on 20 March and in Riyadh and

Buraidah Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...

in December 2011, and in July and August 2012 near

al-Ha'ir Prison Al-Ha'ir Prison, ( ar, سجن الحاير also known as al-Hayer al-Hayar or al-Haer), is a Saudi Arabian political, maximum-security, Mabahith-affiliated prison located approximately 25 miles south of Riyadh. It is the largest prison complex in ...

. Women organised a Facebook

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

campaign called "Baladi", stating that Saudi Arabian law gives women electoral rights. In April 2011, women in

, Riyadh and

Dammam Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...

tried to register as electors for the 29 September municipal elections despite officials stating that women could not participate. In May and June,

Manal al-Sharif Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock.women's right-to-drive campaign, with the main action to take place on 17 June. In late September, Shaima Jastania was sentenced to 10 lashes for driving in Jeddah, shortly after King Abdullah announced women's participation in the 2015 municipal elections and eligibility as Consultative Assembly members; King Abdullah overturned the sentence. Al-Sharif and

Samar Badawi Samar bint Muhammad Badawi ( ar, سمر بدوي; born 28 June 1981) is a Saudi Arabian human rights activist. She and her father filed court cases against each other. Badawi's father accused her of disobedience under the Saudi Arabian male gua ...

filed lawsuits against Saudi authorities in the Grievances Board, a non-

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

court, because of the rejection of their driving licence applications. Women university students protested in

King Khalid University King Khalid University is a public university in Abha, Saudi Arabia. In 1998, HRH Crown Prince ordered the merger of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University in the Southern Region into one entity under the new identity ...

(KKU) in

Abha Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha' ...

in March 2012 and were attacked by security forces, leading to one death. Other university protests followed in

Taibah University Taibah University ( ar, جامعة طيبة) is a university in Medina, Saudi Arabia, established in 2003. Taibah University has witnessed an enormous increase in the number of its students (both men and women). In 2003, there were 7,761 enrolled ...

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

and Tabuk University in March and April. KKU students called for the university president to be dismissed. He was replaced on 1 July 2012.

Protests timeline

January–April 2011

Protests started with a 65-year-old man's self-immolation in

Jizan Jazan ( ar, جازان, Jāzān), also spelled ''Jizan'' ( ar, جيزان, Jīzān), ''Gizan'' or ''Gazan'', is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with ...

on 21 January and protests of a few hundred people in late January in

, triggered by flooding, and several times throughout February and early March in the cities of

, and

. A "Day of Rage" was planned for 11 March. One of the main organisers, Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad (or ''Abdul-Ahadwas''), was alleged to have been killed by Saudi security forces on 2 March, by which time one of the ''Facebook'' groups discussing the plans had over 26,000 members. On 11 March, several hundred people protested in Qatif, Hofuf and al-Amawiyah.

demonstrated in Riyadh despite a massive police presence, was interviewed by

, and has since then been detained in 'Ulaysha Prison. Al-Johani became known online as "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia". The

Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (''ACPRA'') ( ar, جمعية الحقوق المدنية والسياسية في السعودية) is a Saudi Arabian human rights non-governmental organisation created in 2009. On 9 March 2013, the ...

(ACPRA) and the Saudi organisation

Human Rights First Society The Human Rights First Society (''HRFS'', ar, جمعية حقوق الإنسان أولا) is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation which seeks to promote human rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the few independent gro ...

called for ACPRA co-founder Mohammed Saleh Albejadi to be released following his

arbitrary arrest Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of ...

on 21 March by

Mabahith The Saudi Mabahith ( ar, المباحث العامة, , General Investigation Directorate), also spelled ''Mabaheth'', is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter- ...

, the internal security agency. In April, several small protests over labour rights took place in front of government ministry buildings in Riyadh,

and

. Protests, made up mainly of

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

protesters, continued in late March and April in

and smaller cities in the Eastern Province such as

, and

. The protesters called for the release of prisoners, for the

to be withdrawn from Bahrain, for equal representation in key offices and for reforms in political positions, as they feel marginalised. In response to the 22–23 March announcement of men-only municipal elections in late September 2011 to elect half the members of local councils, women organised a Facebook

campaign called "Baladi", stating that Saudi Arabian law gives women electoral rights. In April, women in

, Riyadh and

tried to register as electors for the 22 September municipal elections despite officials stating that women could not participate.

May–December 2011

New Saudi Arabia's traffic sign (women2drive)

In May and June, motivated by the

Manal al-Sharif Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock.women's right-to-drive campaign, with the main action to take place on 17 June. Al-Sharif drove a car in May and was detained on 22 May and from 23‒30 May. Other women also drove cars, including actress Wajnat Rahbini, who was arrested after driving in Jeddah on 4 June and released a day later. From 17 June to late June, about seventy cases of women driving were documented. In late September, Shaima Jastania was sentenced to 10 lashes for driving in Jeddah, shortly after King Abdullah announced women's participation in the 2015 municipal elections and eligibility as Consultative Assembly members. King Abdullah cancelled the sentence. From 17 June to late June, more than seventy cases of women driving were documented. In October protests, police shot live ammunition at protesters. The protesters called for Eastern Province to have its own constitution and legislative assembly, and for their association

Society for Development and Change The Society for Development and Change ( ar, جمعية التنمية والتغيير) is a Saudi Arabian human rights non-governmental organisation that became active in 2011, campaigning for equal human rights for Shia in Eastern Province, Sau ...

to be legally registered. In late November, Nasser al-Mheishi, Ali al-Felfel, Munib al-Sayyed al-'Adnan and Ali Abdullah al-Qarairis were shot dead by security forces in the Qatif region in successive protests and funerals. Hundreds of people protested in Riyadh and

in December, calling for the release or trial of prisoners.

January–June 2012

A protest for

labour rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...

took place in Riyadh on 14 January and a

calling for the Syrian Ambassador to be expelled occurred on 5 February in

. Protests in the

region continued from January to May, with security forces arresting medical personnel. Security forces shot dead Issam Mohamed Abu Abdallah in

on 12 or 13 January, and Munir al-Midani and Zuhair al-Said on 9 and 10 February. In the 70,000 strong funeral for Abdallah on 16 January in al-Awamiyah and the daily Qatif region protests that followed, protesters chanted slogans against the

and

Nayef, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, ''Nāyif ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd''; 1934 – 16 June 2012) was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and deputy prime minister from October 2011 and the Min ...

. In mid-February, two medical personnel were arrested for having clandestinely treated injured protesters. In a 10 February protest and a 13 February funeral, an effigy of Nayef was thrown at tanks and participants described Nayef as a "terrorist", "criminal" and "butcher". Police described two of the fatal shootings as responses to unidentified gunmen who had shot first.

Dawoud al-Marhoon Dawoud al-Marhoon is a Saudi Arabian protester who participated in the Saudi Arabian protests during the Arab Spring as a teenager. He was arrested on May 22, 2012 and was sentenced to death in September 2014, after which he was held in prison ...

and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher were arrested on 22 May and 3 March 2012, when they were aged 17 and 16 respectively, for participated in the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests. Originally, in March 2012, Al Marhoon was questioned by Saudi police and asked to be an informant and report details about his fellow protesters. After he refused, Saudi security forces arrested him from the Dammam Central Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for an eye injury sustained in a traffic accident. Saudi forces surrounded the hospital and arrested him as he prepared for surgery. He was arrested on 22 May 2012, and have been tortured and forced to "confess". Then sentenced to death by the

Specialized Criminal Court The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) ( ar, المحكمة الجزائية المتخصصة) is a non- Sharia court created in Saudi Arabia in 2008 that tries suspected terrorists and human rights activists. On 26 June 2011, the court started tr ...

in September 2015, and , awaited ratification of his sentence by King

Salman of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of Ki ...

, to be carried out by

beheading Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

and

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

(in that order).

Manal al-Sharif Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock.Samar Badawi Samar bint Muhammad Badawi ( ar, سمر بدوي; born 28 June 1981) is a Saudi Arabian human rights activist. She and her father filed court cases against each other. Badawi's father accused her of disobedience under the Saudi Arabian male gua ...

, active in the

women to drive movement Until June 2018, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world in which women were forbidden from driving motor vehicles. The Women to Drive Movement ( ''qiyāda al-marʾa fī as-Suʿūdiyya'') was a campaign by Saudi women, whom the government ...

, announced that they had filed lawsuits against Saudi authorities in the Grievances Board, a non-

court, because of the rejection of their driving licence applications. As of the end of June 2012, 100 Saudi women had started driving regularly since the June 2011 campaign launch. Women university students protested in

in March and were attacked by security forces, leading to one death. Other university protests followed in

and Tabuk University in March and April.

July–August 2012

In July 2012,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

protested in the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

against legal persecution of Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) leaders. Ten female activists were detained in a

14 July protest calling for

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

s to be freed. Similar protests calling for prisoners to be freed and protesting against the Saudi government occurred in Buraidah on 23 July and in front of the

near

and in

in August. In July and August 2012, protests in the

region intensified after Sheikh

was wounded in the leg and arrested by police on 8 July. Three men were killed in a protest on the evening of the arrest. Funerals and protests took place on 10 July, including chants calling for the downfall of the

. While detained, al-Nimr was tortured, had bruises on his face and broken teeth, and started a

. Protest organisers in al-Awamiyah stated their support for al-Nimr and insisted on the use of

. Protester Mohamed al-Shakhouri was shot in the back and neck and arrested in a 26–27 July protest calling for al-Nimr's release. Further protests called for all Shia and Sunni detainees to be freed. A protester and a soldier were fatally shot in Qatif during a 3–4 August evening human rights protest, leading to several more protests.

Aftermath

2014 Qatif protests

In early 2014, conflict between protesters and the security forces continued, with Qatif being "a militarised zone, surrounded by checkpoints and armoured vehicles". A Saudi journalist who had been documenting the protests for two years for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

left Saudi Arabia as she judged the situation "too risky for erto continue investigating".

was sentenced to death by the

on 15 October 2014 for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in

audi Arabia Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The o ...

'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces". His brother, Mohammad al-Nimr, was arrested on the same day for

tweeting Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, ...

information about the death sentence. Al-Nimr was executed on or shortly before 2 January 2016, along with 46 others in a mass execution. His execution was condemned by Iran and Shiites throughout the Middle East, as well as by Western figures and Sunnis opposed to

sectarianism Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...

. The Saudi government said the body would not be handed over to the family. In March 2017, after a long campaign of harassment, the Saudi security forces killed two members of Nimr family during a raid on a farm in eastern Saudi Arabia. Miqdad and Mohammad Al-Nimr were killed at a farm in Awamiyah, the Nimr family hometown. al-Nimr was very critical of the

Saudi Arabian government The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy along Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the Ki ...

, and called for free

elections in Saudi Arabia Elections in Saudi Arabia are rare. Municipal elections were last held in 2015, the first time women had the right to vote and stand as candidates. History The first municipal elections in Saudi Arabia took place in the mid-1920s in the Hijaz cit ...

. Protests in the Qatif region continued during 2017–19, with deaths of protestors and security forces.

Casualties

Deaths

Others

On 21 January 2011, an unidentified 65-year-old man died after setting himself on fire in the town of

. This was apparently the kingdom's first known case of

. On 10 September 2012, a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

man was shot dead in the

Al-Awamiyah Al-Awamiyah, also spelled Awamia, ( ar, العوامية ') is a town situated in the Al-Qatif region in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. , it has a population of about 25,500 people. Al-Awamiyah is bordered by the Al-Ramis farms to the e ...

district of eastern Saudi Arabia. Saudi police said that the Bangladeshi man was driving when his car was hit by bullets fired at two security patrol cars. However, an activist in Al-Awamiyah gave a different account of the incident, saying the man had been killed by gunfire when security forces stormed a house while trying to arrest one of the 23 wanted activist for organising protest in Qatif.

Response

Domestic

On 10 February 2011, a

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

report claimed that 10 intellectuals,

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

activists and lawyers came together to create the

Umma Islamic Party The Umma Islamic Party ( ar, حزب الأمة الإسلامي) is a political party in Saudi Arabia that was formed on 10 February 2011 in response to the Arab Spring. Formed by a collective of opposition members including Islamists and intel ...

– considered to be the first political party in Saudi Arabia since the 1990s – to demand the end of

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...

in the country. On 18 February however, all ten members of the party were arrested and ordered to withdraw demands for political reform in exchange for their release. On 23 February, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, after returning to the country following three months spent abroad for health treatment, announced a series of benefits for citizens amounting to $10.7 billion. These include funding to offset high inflation and to aid young unemployed people and Saudi citizens studying abroad, as well as writing off some loans. State employees' incomes were increased by 15 percent and new housing loans subsidies were introduced. No political reforms were announced as part of the package, though the 86-year-old monarch did pardon some prisoners indicted in financial crimes. On 6 March, the Saudi Arabian Council of Senior Scholars, headed by

Grand Mufti The Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is the head of regional muftis, Islamic jurisconsults, of a state. The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman empire and has been later adopted in a num ...

Abd al-'Aziz al-Ashaikh, issued a

fatwā A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

(religious opinion) opposing petitions and demonstrations, declaring, "Therefore the council hereby reaffirms that only the reform and ounselthat has its legitimacy is that which may bring welfare and avert the evil, whereas it is illegal to issue statements and take signatures for the purposes of intimidation and inciting the strife. ... reform should not be by demonstrations and other means and methods that give rise to unrest and divide the community. ... The Council affirms prohibition of the demonstrations in this country and

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

the legal method which realizes the welfare without causing destruction rests on the mutual advice." The fatwa included a "severe threat against internal dissent", stating, "

he Prophet He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

again said: 'He who wanted separate affairs of this nation who are unified, you should kill him with sword whoever he is' (narrated by

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

)." In late March, Abd al-'Aziz al-Ashaikh called for a million copies of the fatwa to be printed and distributed. On 22–23 March 2011, officials of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural affairs announced that men-only municipal elections to elect half the members of local councils would be held in September 2011. ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' described the election announcement as having "coincided with rumblings of dissent in Saudi Arabia stemming from the wave of political unrest in the Arab world".

Arrests and other repression

About 30 to 50 people were arrested following 29 January Jeddah demonstration. On 18 February, the ten founding members of the

were arrested and ordered to withdraw demands for political reform in exchange for their release. According to a

Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (dpa) is a German news agency founded in 1949. Based in Hamburg, it has grown to be a major worldwide operation serving print media, radio, television, online, mobile phones, and national news agencies. News is avai ...

report on 2 March, Saudi activists have alleged that one of the main administrators of one of the Facebook groups calling for a "Day of Rage" on 11 March, Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad (or ''Abdul-Ahadwas''), was killed by Saudi security forces, who removed his body to "hide evidence of the crime". On 5 March, thousands of security forces were sent to the north-east, causing delays on the road to

. On the same day, following about two weeks of small protests in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

warned that the "ban nall sorts of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins" imposed by Saudi law would be enforced. On 9 March, Foreign Minister

Saud Al Faisal The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

stated that the government would not tolerate any street protests against it, while also saying that the "best way to achieve demands is through national dialogue". On 21 March,

(ACPRA) co-founder Mohammed Saleh Albejadi (also ''Al-Bjady'') was arrested in

, the internal security agency. ACPRA stated that the arrest was

arbitrary Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not necess ...

, in violation of the

Basic Law of Saudi Arabia The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia (alternative name: Basic System of Governance; ar, النظام الأساسي للحكم, ') is a constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters, consisting of 83 articles. The Basic Law (in Article One) st ...

and the ''Law of Criminal Procedures''. Both the ACPRA and

called for his immediate, unconditional release. On 27 March 2011,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

estimated that the "scale of arrests osedramatically during the preceding two weeks", up to about 160 protesters and critics being held without charge. In early January 2012, Saudi authorities published the names of a list of 23 people who were allegedly involved in the October 2011 Awamiyah/Qatif protests, calling for their arrests.

spokesman Mansour al-Turki alleged that the protesters "were working according to a foreign agenda" and were "sponsored financially or supplied with weapons and were working as part of an organization". Shah Ali al-Shokan (or ''Shaukan'') from Tarout Island, one of the 23, was arrested by

on 2 January 2012. Hussain Ali Abdullah al-Baraki, Mosa Ja'far Mohammad al-Mabyouq, and two others among the 23 were also arrested on 2 January. The Ministry of Interior claimed that al-Shokan, al-Baraki and al-Mabyouq had turned themselves in voluntarily. On 10 January, Aqeel al-Yaseen was wounded in

by security forces, arrested and transferred to a

facility in

, and forbidden family visits.

Censorship

In mid-March 2011, Reuters chief correspondent in Saudi Arabia, Ulf Laessing, who had reported from Riyadh since 2009, had his journalistic accreditation withdrawn because of his reporting on the early 2011 Saudi Arabian protests, effectively forcing him to leave Saudi Arabia.

Execution of Nimr al-Nimr

One of the subsequent responses of the Saudi government was the arrest, conviction and subsequent execution of

on 2 January 2016.

International

Governments

* – On 12 July 2012, K.K. Dolgov, human rights representative of the

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...

, expressed "great concern" about the July events in the Eastern Province. He stated, "We expect that the authorities of the Kingdom will undertake all necessary measures to settle the situation in its eastern regions, to avoid conflict, including confrontation on interconfessional basis, and to ensure the observance of conventional human rights, including the right for freedom of expression of opinion, peaceful demonstrations and freedom of associations, as it is prescribed by the law." * – On 8 March 2012, the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

awarded

the 2012 International Women of Courage Award, citing her filing of a lawsuit for

women's voting rights Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in the September 2011 Saudi Arabian municipal elections and her encouragement of other women by the launching of an

online campaign A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

Street protests

* – On 19 July 2012, 50 people protested in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

against the arrests of the Bahraini uprising, against "the crackdown happening in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia", and "to support the people seeking freedom of speech, seeking human rights, freedom for women". * – On 21 July 2012, 30 people protested in front of the United States (US) consulate in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

against US support of the Saudi Arabian government. A protest organiser claimed that the Saudi government was hypocritical because "Saudi Arabia says tsupport Syria's push for freedom Syrian_uprising.html" ;"title="Syrian uprising (2011–present)">Syrian uprising">Syrian uprising (2011–present)">Syrian uprising but trepress s tsown citizens". He called for the release of

Media

Journalist

Robert Fisk Robert Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was a writer and journalist who held British and Irish citizenship. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. His stanc ...

said that the protests were known as the "Hunayn Revolution," after the

Battle of Hunayn :''This is a sub-article to Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca.'' The Battle of Hunayn ( ar, غَزْوَة حُنَيْن, Ghazwat Hunayn) was between the Muslims of Muhammad and the Bedouins of the Qays, including its clans of Hawazin a ...

fought between

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

and the

Hawazin ) , type = Qaysi , image = Hawazin Flag (20).png , image_size =170px , alt = , caption = Banner of the Hawazin at the Battle of Siffin , nisba = , location = , descended = Hawazin ibn Mansur ib ...

Other

On 21 February 2011, oil prices rose in response to the

2011 Libyan civil war The First Libyan Civil War was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. It erupted with the Liby ...

and speculation regarding 11 March Saudi Arabian Day of Rage. The Saudi

Tadawul Saudi Stock Exchange () or Tadāwul () is a stock exchange in Saudi Arabia. Tadāwul was formed in 2007 as a joint stock company and the sole entity authorized to act as a securities exchange in Saudi Arabia, but trading began in 1954 as an info ...

stock market index fell to a seven-month low on stability concerns. During the week of 27 February, global stock prices fell as oil prices increased and silver reached a 30-year high price on stability concerns in the region. Regional stock market indices also fell on concern for Saudi stability. In August 2017, ten

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

laureates, including

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

and

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democratica ...

, urged Saudi Arabia to stop the executions of 14 young people for participating in the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests.Nobel laureates urge Saudi king to halt 14 executions
. ''The Washington Post''. 11 August 2017.

References

External links

Blog discussing a Facebook page for 11 March protests
by Eman Fahad al-Nafjanbr>archive 2011-02-18
* an
on BBC
documentary film, BBC, 2015, by Safa Al Ahmad. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saudi Arabian protests, 2011-2012 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests 2011 in Saudi Arabia 2012 in Saudi Arabia Qatif conflict Arab Spring by country 2011 protests 2012 protests Iran–Saudi Arabia relations Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Islam-related controversies Controversies in Saudi Arabia

Protests timeline

January–April 2011

May–December 2011

January–June 2012

July–August 2012

Aftermath

2014 Qatif protests

Casualties

Deaths

Others

Response

Domestic

Arrests and other repression

Censorship

Execution of Nimr al-Nimr

International

Governments

Street protests

Media

Other

See also

References

Further reading

External links