RNA - According to the Arabic-language Naba'a news channel, the Saudi security forces attacked the house of Abdollah Mohammed Abdollah al-Safwani, one of the prominent Shiites in Awamiyah, detaining his son.
Eastern Province has been the scene of anti-regime protests since early 2011.
Riyadh has stepped up security measures in the Shiite-majority region. Protesters want freedom of speech, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination exercise by authorities.
Demonstrations intensified in the province after the January 2016 execution by the regime of respected Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The protests have been met with a heavy-handed crackdown by the regime.
Also in late May, a Saudi court handed down death sentences to over a dozen young Shiite activists from the restive Qatif region, which has been the scene of peaceful protest rallies against the ruling Saudi regime in recent years.
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