Rights group criticizes Shiite treatment

NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Members of Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite population have been targeted by Saudi authorities since a February incident, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

The international rights group said in a release that Shiite Muslims, who represent as much as 15 percent of the Saudi population, have been arrested and Shiite private prayer halls have been shut down since Shiite pilgrims clashed with Sunni religious police in Medina in February.

Shiite protesters faced arbitrary arrests in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province in March, while Shiite community and religious leaders have been detained in recent months, the group said. Human Rights Watch said some of the Shiite followers arrested were detained for as much as a month without trial.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa director, said the increased tensions surrounding the minority population highlight a need for equal rights for Shiite residents of Saudi Arabia.

"All the Saudi (Shiites) want is for their government to respect their identity and treat them equally," Whitson said. "Yet Saudi authorities routinely treat these people with scorn and suspicion."