Al Saud terrified of popular protests at home: Analyst

A prominent analyst says the recent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Saudi Arabia shows how the Saudi regime is afraid of a popular uprising.

On Tuesday, dozens of Saudi protesters gathered in front of the human rights commission in Riyadh, demanding the release of their imprisoned relatives. The demonstrators were protesting the “prolonged detention of [their] detained relatives without charge or trial, the ill-treatment they are subjected to in detention, and the lack of medical attention they receive.”

Police detained 15 men for their involvement in the protest. Witnesses said that 22 women and children were also arrested, but were later released.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ali al-Ahmad, director of the IGA group from Washington, to shed more light on the issue at hand. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How significant is it that we are seeing this protest now so blatant, in a sense, in the capital [city of Riyadh]?

Ahmad: This is an important development obviously and we will see more of these protests held in Riyadh and the adjacent areas because they have to prove to be very effective and attracting or generating government reaction.

The protest that was held a few days ago was small in terms of numbers — forty people, mostly women and children. However, the number of the policemen who surrounded the peaceful protest was hundreds.

So to show you that how terrified the Saudi monarchy is from the protests being held inside the capital and I think right now we are focused on having these protests in the capital, because it is where the international media cannot ignore the protests in the capital and they have to face the reality that something is happening in the country.

They have ignored large mass protests in the east, but I think that they are not able to ignore protests in the capital city. The Western media have been ignoring protests in the Persian Gulf in general. I mean you saw this today in the sentencing of the Qatari poet to life by the Qatari monarchy.

So I think that such movements in Riyadh will prove very effective.