Saudi prince defects from Royal family - small wind of change in Saudi Arabia ?

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Saudi prince defects from royal family: Report

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Saudi Prince Khalid Bin Farhan al-Saud has announced his defection from the royal family, referring to his “suffering” under reign of al-Saud and called on other princes to break their silence.

“With pride, I announce my defection from al-Saudi family in Saudi Arabia,” he wrote in his statement, according to a report from the Tehran-based Al-Alam news channel. “This regime in Saudi Arabia does not stand by God’s rules or even [the country’s] established rules and its policies, decisions and actions are totally based on [the] personal will of its leaders,” he continued.

The ruling royal family is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Saud.
“All that is said in Saudi Arabia about respecting law and religion rules is factitious, so that they can lie and pretend that the regime obeys Islamic rules,” he said, criticizing the royal family for considering the country its own property and silencing all voices from inside and outside the government that called for any change or reform.

The Saudi prince said everything that the pro-reform opposition said about the country’s political, economical, judiciary, social and security conditions as well as their abuse of religious values was true, the report said. “The situation is even worse than what is said in criticisms.” He called on all those who cared for the future of the country to join him and break their silence.

http://en.alalam.ir/news/1494430

Saudis hold anti-regime protests in Qatif

  

 

Saudi people hold protest rally in Qatif on July 12.

Saudi activists have held protest rallies in eastern city of Qatif in Saudi Arabia to call for release of prominent Saudi cleric and human rights activist Sheikh Namer Baqir al-Namer.

Hundreds of people carrying placards staged a protest on Friday night urging Saudi regime to respect the grand cleric’s right to freedom, who has long been held in custody without trial.

Protestors designated the demonstration day as Youm al-Namur, “Day of Namers”.

They chanted slogans against the Saudi government and called for the fall of the “oppressing regime”.

Sheikh Namer was attacked, injured and arrested by Saudi security forces en route to his house in Qatif on July 8, 2012.

The cleric had called for the release of all those detained in protests against the Saudi regime, and all the prisoners of conscience. His arrest sparked several protests in Saudi Arabia with thousands of people pouring to the streets and condemning the act.

Saudi protesters also denounced regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters, and announced Mohammad bin Nayef, Saudi Interior Minister, responsible for massacre of regime’s opponents.

Underlining the need for continuing protest rallies, the demonstrators called for prosecuting those who were accomplice in crackdown of people.

More than 40,000 political prisoners, mostly prisoners of conscience, are in jails across Saudi Arabia.

According to the activists, most of the detained political thinkers are being held by the government without trial or legitimate charges and have been arrested for merely looking suspicious.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.