The Society for Development and Change (), or SDC, is a Saudi Arabian

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that became active in 2011, campaigning for equal

for

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia The Eastern Province (Arabic: المنطقة الشرقية al-Mintaqah ash-Sharqīyah), also known as the Eastern Region, is a province in Saudi Arabia. It is the nation's largest province by area and the third most populous after the Riyadh Pr ...

. The organisation called for a

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

and an elected

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

for Eastern Province.

Leadership

, the SDC secretary-general was Ahmed Mohammad al-Rebh (or ''al-Ribh''). Prior to the creation of the organisation, al-Rebh, an activist from

Qatif Qatif Governorate ( ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a list of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Damma ...

, had called for political reform and opposed discrimination and had spent time in exile in Iran. In April 2010, al-Rebh had been interrogated by the

branch of Mabahith about his political writing, which included a call for King Abdullah to create a legislative assembly similar to those of

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and criticism of anti-Shi'a discrimination in government policy.

Actions

The Society for Development and Change contacted international media to report on events in the Qatif region during the

2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests The protests in Saudi Arabia were part of the Arab Spring that started with the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Protests started with a self-immolation in Samtah and Jeddah street protests in late January 2011. Protests against anti-Shia discrimina ...

. In October 2011, it reported protestors' demands to create a

and independent legislative assembly for Eastern Province. Secretary-General Ahmed Mohammad al-Rebh stated that Saudi Arabians should "be part of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

". Al-Rebh was forced into exile in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

because of having been forbidden to take part in political activity in Saudi Arabia. In October 2011, spokesperson Ahmad al-Rayah flew to Beirut to report on the situation in Eastern Province. He stated that he wished for the Society for Development and Change to be legally registered. Al-Rayah said that although protests for democracy and civil rights had taken place since February 2011, security forces did not fire live bullets against protestors until 3 October, when they "fired live rounds directly into a crowd" around a police station in al-Awamiyah. The Society for Development and Change ran the ''www.altaghyir.com'' website during 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Society for Development and Change 2011 establishments in Saudi Arabia Organizations established in 2011 Organizations of the Arab Spring Human rights organisations based in Saudi Arabia 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian democracy movements

Leadership

Actions

See also

References