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Saudi Arabia arrests hundreds after 'modernization' festival

Monday, 30 December 2019 9:36 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 30 December 2019 9:57 AM ]

Saudi fans attend the "MDL Beast Fest", an electronic music festival, held in Banban on the outskirts of the Saudi capital Riyadh on December 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Saudi Arabia has arrested over 200 people for violating "public decency", casting doubt on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's so-called plan to "modernize" the ultra-conservative Arab kingdom.

Riyadh police said about 120 men and women have been arrested over the past week for offending public morals, including wearing "inappropriate clothes", and unspecified penalties imposed on the violators.

Another 88 people were arrested in several harassment cases, the police said in a string of statements posted on Twitter.

The arrests were made after a number of women complained on social media that they were harassed at the biggest electronic music festival MDL Beast in Riyadh earlier this month.

No further details were given, including the duration of the detentions.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler bin Salman has allegedly eased social restrictions in the ultra-conservative kingdom, lifting decades-long bans on cinemas and women drivers.

The so-called reforms, however, are widely believed to be fake, particularly after the arrest of several prominent female activists, which followed a much-hyped decision by bin Salman to lift a ban on women’s driving. Among those detained were some of the proponents of the ban’s removal.

Riyadh said in September that it would penalize violations of "public decency", including wearing immodest clothing.

However, the public decency guidelines are widely perceived to be vague and loose, which have sparked fears that they would be open to interpretation.

Despite the relaxation of restrictions on entertainment and fun in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s human rights record has not improved as thousands of dissidents are languishing behind bars, many of them suffering torture.

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