Saudi Regime Police Killed in Qatif

Saudi Regime Interior Ministry says unknown gunmen have shot dead a policeman in Qatif in the oil-rich Eastern Province.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that a shooting erupted late on Tuesday, when police attempted to stop a suspicious car near the central hospital in Qatif.

The statement said one of the officers was fatally injured after someone in the car opened fire at police.

On March 7, another policeman was shot dead as he tried to leave a Qatif police station in his personal car.

The Shia Muslim-populated Eastern Province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners as well as an end to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-producing region.

The protests have been met with a heavy-handed crackdown by the Saudi regime. Riyadh has ramped up security measures across the province.

Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws so as to also affect activism.

On March 9, the Saudi Interior Ministry said police had shot dead a man whom it said was a “terrorism” suspect in Qatif.

On March 11, Saudi forces raided residential areas in Qatif’s village of al-Awamiyah, destroying buildings and killing a teenager.