A senior Iranian official says Saudi Arabia will soon undergo systemic changes as the wave of protests will ultimately lead to the downfall of the dictators in the Persian Gulf monarchy.
Speaking in an interview with the IRIB3 television network broadcast on Sunday night, Secretary General of Iran's High Council for Human Rights Mohammad Javad Larijani said the sweeping crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Saudi Arabia will sooner or later lead to the kingdom’s downfall.
I believe we will witness enormous changes in Saudi Arabia in less than two years, Larijani pointed out.
Saudi Arabia's east has been the scene of anti-government protests since February 2011, with demonstrators demanding human rights reform, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners.
Several demonstrators have been killed and dozens of activists have been arrested since the beginning of the protests in the region.
Riyadh has intensified its crackdown on anti-government protesters since the beginning of 2012.
On January 24, Saudi security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Qatif, injuring many people. Some of the wounded are reportedly in critical condition.
The US-based Human Rights Watch called on Saudi authorities last October to stop the ''arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters, relatives of wanted persons, and human rights activists'' in Eastern Province.
According to the Saudi-based Human Rights First Society (HRFS), the detainees, held in Saudi custody, suffer both physical and mental torture.
The arrests in Saudi Arabia have been carried out despite the fact that the authoritarian kingdom is a party to the Arab Charter on Human Rights, Article 14 of which prohibits arbitrary detention.
The Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have accused the Al Saud regime of silencing dissent through intimidation and the violation of the basic rights of citizens.
MP/GHN/HJL