Saudi court sentences 17 activists to jail

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced 17 activists and lawyers to long prison terms amid demonstrations calling for reform and the release of political prisoners in the kingdom, Press TV reports. On Tuesday, the court handed prison sentences of up to 30 years for what it described as “sedition and other offenses.” Most of the activists and lawyers sentenced to prison had been detained in 2007 after they met in the city of Jeddah to discuss political change in Saudi Arabia. The court ruling on Tuesday comes as activists say Saudi security forces have killed at least three people in the city of Qatif in the Eastern Province over the past two days. Last week, security forces in Qatif arrested two people who were accused of taking part in demonstrations demanding reform and the release of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have prohibited public gatherings in the wake of anti-regime demonstrations in several cities over the past few weeks. Human Rights Watch called on Saudi authorities in October to stop “arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters, relatives of wanted persons, and human rights activists” in the Eastern Province. The arrests in Saudi Arabia have been carried out despite the fact that the kingdom is a party to the Arab Charter on Human Rights. Article 14 of the charter prohibits arbitrary detention.