Saudi warns against demos for prisoners

The Saudi interior ministry warned on Thursday that it would deal "firmly" with demonstrations calling for the release of prisoners. "Some people are exploiting the issue of people arrested or convicted for crimes of the deviant minority by organising small gatherings to call for their release," it said, using the official term for Al-Qaeda militants. It said in a statement that participants had been "taking videos which they use on certain media and on the Internet to falsify the facts and sow discord." The ministry urged respect for judicial procedures and for Saudis "not to take part in gatherings or marches," warning that security forces would deal "firmly" with offenders. Last month, dozens of Saudis held a two-day protest at a prison north of Riyadh to demand the release of their relatives, most of them political prisoners detained without charge, protesters and activists said. The protest was a rare occurrence in the kingdom which bans demonstrations. After a wave of deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia by Al-Qaeda between 2003 and 2006, authorities launched a crackdown on the local branch of the group founded by slain Saudi-born Osama bin Laden. According to the non-governmental Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), the kingdom is currently holding some 30,000 political prisoners.