Rights group: Saudi protesters held full year

(March 09, 2012) Amnesty International says at least six men remain imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for planning to take part in protests a year ago. Saudi activists declared March 11th last year as a “Day of Rage” to emulate protests in the region. By then, the “Arab Spring” uprisings had ousted authoritarian leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. The London-based human rights group said in a statement Friday that only one of the men arrested is thought to have actually protested, while most have not been charged. “Holding people for a year merely for intending to protest is completely unconscionable,” the rights watchdog said. Amnesty says at least one of the men was believed to have been tortured in prison. The conservative kingdom is often criticized by rights groups for its limits on person freedoms.