1979 uprising The
1979 Qatif Uprising was a period of unprecedented civil unrest that occurred in
Qatif and
Al-Hasa,
Saudi Arabia, in late November 1979. The unrest resulted in 20-24 people killed in what was described as a sectarian outburst of violence between the Shi'a minority and Sunni majority in Saudi Arabia and the beginning of the modern phase of the Qatif conflict.
1979–83 crackdown After the 1979 uprising, the Saudi authorities have engaged in systematic persecution of Shi'a activists in Qatif, with an estimated 182-219 killed by 1983 (including the 1979 events).
Arab Spring protests 2011–12 With the coincidence of the events of the
Arab Spring in most Arab countries, especially in Bahrain, on February 17, hundreds of Shiites went out in
Qatif to demand economic reforms in Qatif and
Al-Ahsa, and to demand Shia rights in Saudi Arabia, and this continued until 2012, and 20 Shiite demonstrators and 4 security forces were killed. And 952 people were arrested, then 735 people were released The protests in
Saudi Arabia were part of the
Arab Spring that started with the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Protests started with a
self-immolation in
Samtah and
Jeddah street protests in late January 2011. Protests against
anti-Shia discrimination followed in February and early March in
Qatif,
Hofuf,
al-Awamiyah, and
Riyadh. A Facebook organiser of a planned 11 March "Day of Rage", Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad, was allegedly killed by
Saudi security forces on 2 March, with several hundred people protesting in Qatif, Hofuf and al-Amawiyah on the day itself.
Khaled al-Johani demonstrated alone in Riyadh, and became known online as "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia". and in January 2012 in Riyadh. In 2011,
Nimr al-Nimr encouraged his supporters in
nonviolent resistance.
Execution controversy of Nimr al-Nimr On 15 October 2014,
al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the
Specialized Criminal Court for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in [Saudi Arabia], 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces". Said Boumedouha of
Amnesty International stated that the death sentence was "part of a campaign by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to crush all dissent, including those defending the rights of the Kingdom's Shi'a Muslim community." Nimr al-Nimr's brother, Mohammad al-Nimr,
tweeted information about the death sentence In March 2015 the Saudi Arabian appellate court upheld the death sentence against al-Nimr. On 25 October 2015, the Supreme Religious Court of Saudi Arabia rejected al-Nimr's appeal against his death sentence. During an interview for
Reuters, al-Nimr's brother claimed that the decision was a result of a hearing which occurred without the presence or notification of al-Nimr's lawyers and family. This being said, he still remained hopeful that
King Salman would grant a pardon. However, on January 2, 2016,
al-Nimr was executed.
Unrest (2017–2020) The 2017–2020 Qatif unrest occurred in the Qatif region (within
Eastern Province of
Saudi Arabia) between the Saudi government and the Shia militants until it died down in 2020. It began in May 2017 after an incident on 12 May when a child and a Pakistani young man were shot and killed. In the same month, Saudi authorities erected siege barricades in
Al-Awamiyah and attempted to bulldoze the al-Musawara residential area. The conflict became an armed conflict, with about 12–25 people killed in shelling and sniper fire during May and the following few months. On 11 May 2019, 8 militants were killed in a firefight with Saudi security forces in the Sanabis neighborhood of Qatif. On 7 January 2020, The "most dangerous wanted terrorist" in Qatif was captured after he fired on a security patrol, according to state-run news media effectively ending the 2017–2020 Qatif unrest|2017–20 Qatif unrest.
Demonstrations (2022) On 14 March 2022, thousands of Shi'ite protestors took to streets after the
executions of several Shi'ites in alleged unfair trials. ==Human rights==