2017–2020 Qatif unrest
The 2017–2020 Qatif unrest was a phase of conflict in the Qatif region of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, between Saudi security forces and the local Shia community, that arose sporadically starting in 1979, including a series of protests and repression during the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests. This phase of conflict began after an incident on 12 May 2017, when a child and a Pakistani man were shot and killed. The detention of Qatif human rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham and her husband and the possible beheading of al-Ghomgham as the first Saudi woman to be executed  for her human rights activities gained international attention during 2018. On 31 January 2019, the Saudi authorities confirmed in a public statement that they would not seek the imposition of the death penalty against al-Ghomgham. Background. On 15 October 2014, Nimr al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialised Criminal Court for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in Saudi Arabia, 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces". Said Boumedouha of Amnesty International stated that the death sentence was part of a campaign by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to crush all dissent, including those defending the  rights of the Kingdom's Shi'a Muslim community. Nimr al-Nimr's brother, Mohammad al-Nimr, tweeted information about the death sentence and was arrested on the same day. The head of Iran's armed forces warned Saudi Arabia that it would "pay dearly" if it carried out the execution. In March 2015 the Saudi Arabian appellate court upheld the death sentence against al-Nimr. On 25 October 2015, the Supreme Religious Court of Saudi Arabia rejected al-Nimr's appeal against his death sentence. During an interview for Reuters, al-Nimr's brother claimed that the decision was a  result of a hearing which occurred without the presence or notification of al-Nimr's lawyers and family. Al-Nimr's brother still remained hopeful that King Salman would grant a pardon. Nimr al-Nimr was executed along with 46 others on 2 January 2016. Low-level conflict. From May 2017 through to 2018 and 2019, several incidents occurred in which Qatif residents and/or Saudi policemen were killed. Awamiyah residential area destruction. Around May 2017, Saudi authorities erected siege barricades in Awamiyah and attempted to bulldoze the al-Musawara residential area. Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the  conflict as surprisingly intense for Saudi Arabia, stating, "I've documented conflict in Saudi Arabia before but nothing like this. I've seen protests, but nothing this militarised." He considered it unprecedented for there to be "heavy clashes going on between the state and its citizens in a Saudi city." About 12–25 people were killed in shelling and sniper fire during May and the following few months. Streets of Awamiyah were described by "The Independent" as "covered in rubble and sewage" and "[looking] more like a scene from Syria than an oil-rich Gulf city." One protestor stated that he  switched from peaceful protesting to methods to armed methods as a result of government repression, including an assault against his wife and frightening his children. Legal cases. In early December 2017, Israa al-Ghomgham and her husband Moussa al-Hashem were arrested in their home and detained in the Dammam al-Mabahith prison. They were charged for their activities in relation to participation and documentation of the Qatif political protests. On 6 August 2018, the prosecutor in their case recommended that they be executed, making al-Ghomgham the first Saudi women to be sentenced to death for human rights campaigning , according to Saudi activists. Al-Ghomgham and her husband's potential death sentence gained international attention, with support for their case from Shia Rights Watch, the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Global Affairs Canada. Al-Ghomgham's final sentencing for confirming or rejecting the proposed death penalty was planned for 28 October 2018. Legal proceedings, including arrests, investigations, trials and executions, of 24 people were referred to as the "Qatif 24 case". Most were convicted on false confessions based on torture. Fourteen of these were executed as part of the 2019 Saudi Arabia mass execution. 2017–2020