Denied Dignity - Human Rights Watch

Denied Dignity

Systematic Discrimination and Hostility toward Saudi Shia Citizens

September 3, 2009

This 32-page report documents the sharpest sectarian tensions in the kingdom in years, set off by clashes between Shia pilgrims and religious police in Medina in February 2009, followed by arbitrary arrests of Shia protesters in the Eastern Province in March. The closing of private Shia halls for communal prayer in Khobar, which began in July 2008 and the arrests of Shia religious and community leaders in Ahsa' in 2009 also have contributed to the tensions.

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ISBN: 1-56432-536-9

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Table of Contents

• Denied Dignity
• I. Summary
• II. The Shia under Saudi Rule
• III. Underlying Discrimination
• IV. Medina Clashes
• V. Arrests of Solidarity Protestors
• VI. Mosque Closures and Arrest of Religious Leaders
• VII. Relevant International Standards
• Acknowledgments

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