Saudi youth on Facebook call for reform

Messages posted by Saturday urge a change to the constitutional monarchy and call for holding free and fair elections, respect of human rights and individual freedoms.

February 05, 2011 06:32 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 03:50 am IST - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

A group of Saudi Facebook activists have started a campaign calling for political and economic reforms, inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt that have been spurred by social networking groups.

The Saudi campaign is entitled “People Want Regime Reform.”

Messages posted by Saturday urge a change to the constitutional monarchy and call for holding free and fair elections, respect of human rights and individual freedoms.

The Saudi Facebook activists say a new constitution should guarantee women’s rights. The kingdom observes strict Islamic laws that segregate the sexes, while women are not allowed to drive.

The postings also discuss unemployment, corruption and unfair distribution of the wealth in the world’s biggest oil producer.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.