Shortly after the arrest [1] of Suleiman al-Rashoudi, the head of independent human rights organization Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), anonymous activist group @e3teqal [2] [which translates to “detainment”] announced that today, December 21, will be a “Friday for Detainees” and called for country-wide sit-ins.
In a statement [3], the group said [ar]:
فإننا مجموعة من المشايخ والنشطاء المهتمين بقضية معتقلي الرأي ندعوا لاعتصامات في كل مناطق المملكة أمام مساجد محددة بعد صلاة الجمعة يوم 8 صفر 1434 الموافق 21 ديسمبر 2012 وقد دعانا للجوء للاعتصامات أن كل الوسائل الهادئة السرية لإطلاق سجناء الأي لن تكن مجدية.
We, a group of clerics and activists who are concerned by the issue of prisoners of conscience, call for country-wide sit-ins outside certain mosques after Friday sermon on December 21, 2012. What made us call for sit-ins is the fact that all calm and secret methods for releasing prisoners of conscience have failed.
The Saudi Arabian government strictly prohibits all kinds of demonstrations and sit-ins. The rule, however, has been challenged many times over the past two years by relatives of arbitrarily-imprisoned people, and by the activists behind @e3teqal. Arbitrary imprisonment is the top human rights issue in Saudi Arabia. ACPRA's estimate of the number of arbitrary detainees is over 30,000 [4], many of whom were arrested during the massive, post-9/11 “war on terrorism” [5].
On Thursday night, the group announced [6] three major mosques for the planned sit-ins in Riyadh, Jeddah and Buraidah. Outside these mosques, there was very heavy police presence today in anticipation of the protests. Ex-political prisoner Thamer al-Khodhor tweeted:
من رأى جامع العميم في بريدة يعرف معنى الثكنه العسكرية
@thamaer14338 [7] Those who saw Ameem mosque in Buraidah know what a “military battalion” is.
In Riyadh, heavy police presence was not only around the announced mosque, but also around other large mosques. Saudi Twitter user Yaser al-Mehlib tweeted from Riyadh's largest mosque, al-Rajhi mosque, saying:
الآن هيلوكبتر تحوم فوق جامع الراجحي ! أصلحوا ماأنتم خائفون منه
@yyeessrr [8]: A helicopter is now flying above al-Rajhi mosque! Fix what you are afraid of!
Ironically, Twitter users also reported police presence around the building of the governmental Human Rights Commission:
تعزيزات أمنية الان عند مبنى هيئة حقوق الانسان وعند جامع الراجحي
@SALEHTAREG [9]: Police presence in front of Human Rights Commission building as well as al-Rajhi mosque.
@e3teqal published a video [10] of tens of young men who choose a different location to protest. The chants in Arabic echo the all too familiar Arab Spring cry, with a Saudi-specific demand: “The people demand the liberation of prisons”:
Also activist al-Rashoudi's daughter Bahia, uploaded photos of the [13] signs they had [11] and tweeted:
أسرة الرشودي مع عشرات النساء تجمعن وهتفن بالحرية للمعتقلين رغم الإستنفار الأمني وأدين الواجب والحمدالله
@BahiaAlrushoody [14]: al-Rashoudi's family members and tens of women gathered and shouted for freedom of the detainees despite police presence. Thanks God, we did what we should do.
The hashtag of the sit-in (#جمعة_المعتقلين [15]) [The Friday of Detainees] was filled with identical pro-government tweets by newly-created accounts. In the screenshot, all tweets are read: “God bless Saudi Arabia's security and prosperity”:
When a new hashtag was announced (#جمعة_الرعب, Friday of fear), the newly-created accounts filled it with tweets that demand the release of Hamaza Kashgari [17], the very controversial Saudi columnist who is accused of insulting Prophet Mohammad:
[18]