BURAIDAH — A total of 112 people, including 12 women, detained over an illegal gathering in Buraidah were released on bail, according to a spokesman for Al-Qassim police. A total of 176 people, including 15 women, were arrested last Friday after they staged a sit-in protest outside the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) in the city. The officials have also completed procedures for the release of another nine people, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Security authorities are currently examining charges against the other detainees. The protesters were arrested after they refused to heed repeated instructions by security personnel to end their 12-hour long sit-in and disperse, the spokesman said. He said the sit-in was “an attempt to influence public opinion by exploiting the cases of a number of people convicted or accused of crimes or deviant activities.”
