Qatif Protesters Murdered by Saudi Security Forces – Sheikh al-Nimr arrested

At Least Two Protesters Are Killed in Saudi Arabia
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ – 9 July, 2012 – NYT

Ativists posted this video from a protest in Qatif on Monday.

The arrest of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric over the weekend has ignited protests in eastern Saudi Arabia that have left at least two people dead, the Saudi interior ministry told news agencies on Monday.

The cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, is reported to be a prominent voice of protest among Saudi Arabia’s Shiites who say they face discrimination at the hands of dominant Sunnis in the workplace, universities and elsewhere. Mr. Nimr was arrested on Sunday for “sedition” after being shot in the leg in a tussle with the police, Saudi officials said.

The circumstances of his arrest remain murky. The authorities said that Mr. Nimr and his entourage opened fire on police officers attempting to arrest him before crashing into a security patrol while trying to escape, Reuters reported, citing government-run television.

Video reportedly shot just after Mr. Nimr’s arrest shows the cleric lying in the back of a vehicle, his head cradled by a man in uniform. He is covered in either a white sheet or robes that appear to be covered in blood.

Word of Mr. Nimr’s arrest spread quickly through Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, an oil-producing hub heavily populated by Shiites. By nightfall on Sunday, hundreds of people reportedly gathered for a protest in the Qatif region.

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