Hundreds of people wearing white shrouds have staged a peaceful march in the oil-producing region of eastern Saudi Arabia, demanding basic rights and the release of prisoners, according to a video posted on YouTube.

The video recording, showed hundreds of people, many in Western clothes, marching with white shrouds that symbolize willingness to die as martyrs, in the mainly Shia city of Qatif.
A local rights activist said the protest, inspired by a government crackdown on fellow Shias in neighbouring Bahrain, was the first one of its kind in the area in two months.
He said activists from the Shia minority in the area had suspended protests in April following government promises to start a dialogue with them and free detainees.
Sunni-Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a major U.S. ally, does not tolerate any form of public dissent. Scattered protests have been held in the past in eastern Saudi Arabia, where mostly Shia Muslims live.
(Source: Reuters)