Massive security forces stop demonstration organised on Facebook. People are closely monitored leaving mosques. Hundreds of agents are in the streets, security forces patrol squares a day after they opened fire on Shia protesters, wounding three, in Qatif.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Security forces have cordoned off streets in Riyadh to prevent the ‘day of rage’ that had been announced following similar events in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain e Yemen. Activists had made the call online to push for political and social reforms; however, few people responded. Yesterday, a demonstration in the predominantly Shia city of Qatif, in the eastern part of the country, saw police open fire, wounding three protesters.

Protests are illegal in Saudi Arabia, which has had an absolute monarchy since its unification in the 1930s. The kingdom’s interior ministry, backed by the country’s ten-member council of senior scholars, which is its highest religious authority, reiterated the ban a few days ago (see “Demonstrations and appeals deemed ‘unIslamic’ by religious scholars and government,” in AsiaNews, 7 March 2011)

A loose coalition of pro-reform supporters, human rights activists, moderate Sunni and Shia Muslims had called for reform and a Facebook page had been set up urging protests. More than 30,000 people signed up for it.

However, the Interior Ministry in a statement said that security forces would crack down on any street protests.

From the early hours of the morning, uniformed police were out in force to patrol Riyadh’s main squares as scores of police cars toured the streets. A helicopter circled above one city mosque and busloads of police were parked nearby, significantly raising the security presence.

Police closely monitored the Olaya commercial centre where demonstrators were supposed to congregate. Police agents surrounded one mosque to check worshippers’ IDs as they left the building.

Similar measures were taken in Jeddah, the kingdom’s second largest city.

In the last few weeks, the government has tried to play the reform card, pushing for dialogue. About a hundred intellectuals called for constitutional reforms to change the monarchy and implement a separation of powers.

International human rights groups have called on Riyadh to allow peaceful demonstrations in accordance with international law.

Some US human rights organisations have openly accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of hypocrisy for touting freedom to protest in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya whilst saying nothing about Saudi Arabia, America’s ally.

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