Saudi women stage anti-regime rally in Qatif

Saudi women have held a massive demonstration against the Al Saud regime in the country’s oil-rich Eastern Province, Press TV reports.

On Thursday, huge crowds of female demonstrators chanted anti-regime slogans in the Qatif region, situated about 418 kilometers (259 miles) east of the capital Riyadh, and condemned the regime’s suppression of political dissent.

They also expressed solidarity with Bahrainis, and slammed Riyadh’s military intervention in Bahrain to quell pro-democracy protests there.

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, as well as an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have turned into protests against the repressive Al Saud regime, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the province.

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