SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Dozens of women and at least five children were arrested on Saturday after demonstrations were held in two Saudi cities, Riyadh and Buraida, according to human rights activists. The women were demanding the release of relatives they say have been held for years without access to lawyers or a trial, the activists said. Mohammed Al-Qahtani, a prominent activist currently on trial in Saudi Arabia on charges that include breaking allegiance to the Saudi king,…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A spree of executions that has sent10 prisoners to their deaths since the beginning of the year in Saudi Arabia must be halted, Amnesty International said today. The beheadings included the death of Abdullah Fandi al-Shammari on 5 February 2013 who had originally been convicted of manslaughter, but was tried again on the charge of murder in proceedings that did not meet fair trial standards. The case has attracted significant attention in Saudi Arabia. Al-Shammari…

In an interview with the newspaper Al-Hayat on Monday the representative of Saudis in Jordan said since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, some 2500 Saudis have entered the Arab country. The ambassador added that an unknown number of Saudi terrorists have been arrested and are in Syrian prisons. SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Saudi Arabian ambassador in Jordan, Fahad bin Abdul Mohsen al-Zaid, admitted that the Saudis in Syria are supporting and collaborating with the armed terrorist groups…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen. A drone flown from there was used in September 2011 to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was alleged to be AQAP's external operations chief. US media have known of its existence since…

Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir, a grandson of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah II, was jailed in 2010 for killing Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz at a five-star hotel in London. At his trial, the court heard he had subjected his servant to a ‘sadistic’ campaign of violence and sexual abuse, which led to the ‘brutal’ assault. SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A homosexual Saudi prince who was jailed for life in Britain for killing his manservant is to serve the…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- A Saudi cleric has said baby girls should be veiled to avoid sexual harassment, in remarks broadcast on television that sparked outrage in the conservative kingdom. "Girls should wear the veil from the age of two," said Abdullah Daoud on Islamic television Al Majd, adding that Saudis should follow the example of South Asian countries. "If a girl is sexually desired, her parents should cover her face and force her to wear veil," to protect…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A Saudi man who raped his five-year-old daughter and tortured her to death has been sentenced to pay "blood money" to the mother after having served a short jail term, according to activists. The man, said to be a religious scholar who is also a regular guest on Islamic television networks, confessed to having used cables and a cane to inflict the injuries, activists from the group Women to Drive said in a statement on Saturday. Lamia was…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Public anger has gripped Saudi Arabia after a prominent preacher who raped and beat to death his 5-year-old daughter was sentenced to a few months in jail and a $50,000 fine – known as 'blood money' – to compensate the victim's relatives. According to Islamic law, the 'blood money' can be paid in lieu of the death penalty. The preacher's fine was reportedly half the usual amount because the victim was a girl. Saudi…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has named former intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as second deputy prime minister, a role historically seen as making the incumbent second in line to become king. Holders of the position have gone on in the past to be crown prince of the world's top oil exporter, where the ruling family controls most senior government posts and, in the absence of elections, wields near absolute authority. The role means…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The Saudi government has ordered that shops that employ both men and women to set up separation walls to ensure that the two sexes are separated while they work.From now on, stores must erect barriers not shorter than 1.6 meters to separate male and female employees. Retailers have 30 days to install the walls, or risk sanctions. The legislation was issued by Labour Minister Adel Faqih, with the help of Abdullatif al-Sheikh, the head…