hope raises no dust

lovebelikeawhirlwind:

pantslessprogressive:

thepoliticalnotebook:

Over the past 48 hours in Saudi Arabia, two protesters have been killed as a result of clashes in Qatif. On Friday, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing one and wounding three, adding to the casualty count of one dead and three injured from Thursday.

The first victim from Thursday has been identified as 21-year-old Munir al-Medani, who, according to another activist, took a live bullet to the chest and later died of his wounds in the hospital. The latest victim is identified as Zohair al-Saad.

Above is a screenshot from this activist video of the protests and a photo of protests in Qatif today posted to the Revolution East activist Facebook page.

Protests began last March in Eastern Province, triggered by Saudi Arabia’s support for the crackdown in Bahrain, and since then six have been killed and more than 500 arrested.

[Al Jazeera English; Washington Post; Lede Blog/NYT]

If you want to imagine a country resistant to political reforms, look no further than Saudi Arabia. After their “Day of Rage” last March, which was comprised of a few small demonstrations and an abundance of security officers, the regime distributed 1.5 million copies of an edict banning protests, calling the anti-government demonstrations “un-Islamic.”

From the Guardian, March 11, 2011 (Saudi Arabia’s Day of Rage):

Security in Riyadh was high-profile and intense, with helicopters hovering overhead and police checks on cars and individuals heading for mosques, where protests were expected after prayers.

“Police cruisers were given orders to pull over any car,” tweeted Mohammed al-Qahtani, president of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. “I saw several cars being searched by officers, and they checked IDs.”

Disappointed activists counted more policemen and journalists than demonstrators. “Where were all these policemen and helicopters when Jeddah was drowning?” asked one Saudi — a sardonic reference to the floods that devastated the Red Sea coastal city twice in the last two years and fuelled anger and resentment at government incompetence.

Protests here, especially from the younger generation, shouldn’t be a surprise. Unemployment hovers around a staggering 40% for 20-24 year olds. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and a structural shakeup is not welcome. The Saudi regime has seemingly endless money and will spend what it needs to quell dissent. 

Oh, and that minor detail regarding the U.S.’s alliance. If you think our State Department’s disregard for Bahrain’s year-long anti-government protests was daft, you’ve seen nothing. We’ve gotta sell weapons, folks

i have all the feelings about this.

Ohh mighty Us of a, Or how a country’s “interests” dictate the state of millions of people’s freedom worldwide. This isn’t just a democracy being complicit with dictators and tyrans but pretty much being one.