Saudi Arabia Police Arrest Activist for Demonstration, HRW Says

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, arrested a Shiite human rights activist in the oil-producing Eastern Province, extending a crackdown aimed at quashing political unrest, Human Rights Watch said.

Fadhil al-Manasif was detained on May 1 for taking part in peaceful demonstrations in Awwamiya, the New York-based rights group said in a statement on its website today. Al-Manasif, 27, has documented human rights violations for the past two years, the group said. Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 160 dissidents since February, Human Rights Watch said April 20.