Saudi Crackdown Extended as Intellectuals Said to Be Detained - Bloomberg

Saudi Crackdown Extended as Intellectuals Said to Be Detained - Bloomberg:

Saudi Arabia arrested at least eight intellectuals last week as it extended a crackdown on political dissent that’s sparked condemnation abroad.

Those detained included Fouad Al-Farhan, a prominent blogger; Abdulmajeed al-Buluwi, a writer and political analyst; and Wa’ad al-Muhaya, a self-taught philosophy enthusiast, two people familiar with the arrests said, asking not to be named.

Many of the men held were once active on social media or websites and supported the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011 -- a wave of uprisings against autocratic regimes that was viewed as a destabilizing threat by the Saudi monarchy. However, they’d largely stopped writing years ago and maintained low profiles, starting small businesses or joining the government.

It’s unclear what charges they face, and the government’s Center for International Communication didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.