Death sentences of Shiites point to limits of Saudi reforms

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince hopes to transform the kingdom and modernize society, but the planned execution of 14 Shiite protesters charged with violence against security forces suggests the government’s handling of sectarian tensions and unrest remains unchanged.

Awamiya: Inside the devastated Saudi Shia town – BBC News

The town of Awamiya has been devastated by fighting between government forces and Shia militants.

See this video also on Youtube.

Saudi Arabia: Security Forces Seal Off Eastern Town

(Beirut) – Saudi security forces have surrounded and sealed off the predominantly Shia town of Awamiya in July 2017 as they confronted an armed group hiding in a historic neighborhood slated for demolition, Human Rights Watch said today.

العوامية: “كُثبان الوهابية” تجتاح السور

بعد 90 يوماً من الحصار، اجتاحت القوات السعودية حيّ المسوّرة التاريخي في العوامية لتسوّيه في الأرض. التشفي والانتقام كانا حاضرين في الهجوم الهمجي الذي ذهب ضحيته أكثر من 30 مواطناً “يقدَّر عمر بناء المسوّرة بأكثر من ثلاثة قرون، أما بيوتها فيراوح عددها من 160 إلى 180 بيتاً، جميعها مبنية بالطين والحجارة، وتتميز بتلاصقها الشديد، وبتصميماتها المراعية لظروف المناخ والبيئة، وبطراز معمارها العربي الأصيل، الذي يتمثّل في مجموعة العقود والنقوش والزخارف والأقواس الإسلامية التي تزين أفنيتها وجدرانها الداخلية.

Saudi Arabia: 14 Shia at Risk of Imminent Execution

Fourteen members of the Saudi Shia community are at imminent risk of execution after Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court in mid-July 2017 upheld their death sentences from an unfair trial for protest-related crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. Courts convicted the 14 based on confessions they had repudiated in court, saying that they were coerced.

See denunciations of local Shia by governor of Eastern Province.

Video Exposes Saudi Special Forces’ Sectarian Doctrine

August 8, 2017 By IGA staff Washington – A video of Saudi Special Forces have exposed the western trained and equipped forces’ sectarian doctrine. The video taken today by a Saudi solider inside the besieged Shia city of Awamya showed him hurling secretin insults at Shia inhabitants and their faith inside a bombed out historical Shia mosque.

Inside the Saudi town that’s been under siege for three months by its own government

When Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on his first trip abroad as US President in May, officials in Riyadh made a spectacular effort to promote the idea of unity in the Muslim world, inviting more than 100 leaders of Muslim nations to attend the Arab Islamic American Summit with the new President.

See also Shia Rights Watch.

Opinion | An Ally Is Set to Execute Critics. Will Mr. Trump Be Silent?

Mujtaba al-Sweikat was a bright 17-year-old student on his way to visit Western Michigan University when he was arrested at King Fahd Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2012. Since then, Mr. Sweikat has been in Saudi custody, subjected to torture, including beatings so severe his shoulder was broken, in order to extract confessions that sealed his fate: condemned to death, likely by beheading.

See also The Independent.
See also The Washington Post.

Playing both sides against the middle: Saudi engages with Iraqi Shiites

Saudi Arabia, with the Islamic State on the ropes in Iraq, is forging ties to Iraqi Shiite leaders and offering to help fund reconstruction of Mosul and other predominantly Sunni Muslim cities that were devastated in the military campaign against the jihadist group.

Bi-Annual Anti-Shiism Report – Shia Rights Watch

The first half of 2017 has been a turbulent time for Shia Muslims all over the world. Anti-Shiism, or the active targeting of Shia Muslim to limit their visibility and expression, was prevalent in across the globe. Shia Muslims, including their sub groups, make up approximately 50% of the total Muslim population.