Saudi Qatif moves again

People in the Eastern Saudi city of Qatif took to the streets once again to protest at the al-Saud dynasty and demand freedom.Witnesses said demonstrators chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, 78-year-old Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who has ordered police chiefs across the country to show no mercy to anti-government protesters, press tv reported. Nayef has reportedly ordered crackdown on protesters and gave a green light to officers and troops to open fire on those demonstrating against the government policies in a letter in March. There were no immediate reports of police intervention to disperse the crowd. In Saudi Arabia, protests and political gatherings of any kind are prohibited. Saudi Arabia's east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past months with demonstrators demanding rights reform, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners. Saudi activists say there are more than 30,000 political prisoners, mostly prisoner of conscience, in jails across the Kingdom. According to the activists, most of the detained political thinkers are being held by the government without trial or legitimate charges and that they were arrested for merely looking suspicious. Some of the detainees are reported to be held without trial for more than 16 years and attempting to incite the public against the government and the allegiance to foreign entities are usually the ready-made charges against political dissidents. Human Rights Watch says more than 160 dissidents have been arrested since February as part of the Saudi government's crackdown on anti-government protesters. According to the Saudi-based Human Rights First Society (HRFS), the detainees were subject to both physical and mental torture.