Hawzah News Agency - A number of international human rights organizations condemned Saudi Arabia for its pressures against Shia clerics and scholars in the Arab country.

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights in a statement denounced the measures taken against Shia scholars in Qatif and al-Ahsa regions, Mirat al-Jazeera website reported.

It also slammed the security forces for recently arresting religious figures like Sheikh Hashim al-Shakhs.

Taha Haji, an official with the ESOHR, said a review of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record shows that Riyadh’s claims of reforms and respect for the rule of law are not real.

The group Americans for Democracy & Human Rights also condemned the recent Saudi attacks on the rights of Shia people and scholars in Qatif and al-Ahsa, saying the recent arrests show the worsening situation and escalation of discrimination against Shia scholars.

It said the measures taken in those regions run counter to the UN Human Rights Charter and international laws and treaties.