[42] Khaled al-Johani demonstrated alone in Riyadh,[42] was interviewed by BBC Arabic Television, was detained in ʽUlaysha Prison,[43][44] and became known online as "the only brave man in Saudi Arabia".

[79][80] Al-Sharif and Samar Badawi filed lawsuits against Saudi authorities in the Grievances Board, a non-Sharia court,[81] because of the rejection of their driving licence applications.

[40][41][88] One of the main organisers, Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad[25] (or Abdul-Ahadwas[26]), was alleged to have been killed by Saudi security forces on 2 March,[26][27] by which time one of the Facebook groups discussing the plans had over 26,000 members.

[42] Khaled al-Johani demonstrated in Riyadh despite a massive police presence,[42] was interviewed by BBC Arabic Television, and has since then been detained in 'Ulaysha Prison.

[89][90] In April, several small protests over labour rights took place in front of government ministry buildings in Riyadh, Ta'if and Tabuk.

[39][29][49] The protesters called for the release of prisoners, for the Peninsula Shield Force to be withdrawn from Bahrain,[11][50] for equal representation in key offices and for reforms in political positions, as they feel marginalised.

[3][78][92] Other women also drove cars, including actress Wajnat Rahbini, who was arrested after driving in Jeddah on 4 June and released a day later.

[94][95][96] In late September, Shaima Jastania was sentenced to 10 lashes for driving in Jeddah, shortly after King Abdullah announced women's participation in the 2015 municipal elections and eligibility as Consultative Assembly members.

[52] A protest for labour rights took place in Riyadh on 14 January[47] and a sit-in calling for the Syrian Ambassador to be expelled occurred on 5 February in Jeddah.

[101] Security forces shot dead Issam Mohamed Abu Abdallah in al-Awamiyah on 12[53] or 13 January,[54] and Munir al-Midani[55] and Zuhair al-Said[56][57] on 9 and 10 February.

Originally, in March 2012, Al Marhoon was questioned by Saudi police and asked to be an informant and report details about his fellow protesters.

After he refused, Saudi security forces arrested him from the Dammam Central Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for an eye injury sustained in a traffic accident.

[110] Nimr al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court on 15 October 2014 for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in [Saudi Arabia], 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces".

[144] On 23 February, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, after returning to the country following three months spent abroad for health treatment, announced a series of benefits for citizens amounting to $10.7 billion.

These include funding to offset high inflation and to aid young unemployed people and Saudi citizens studying abroad, as well as writing off some loans.

[145] On 6 March, the Saudi Arabian Council of Senior Scholars, headed by Grand Mufti Abd al-'Aziz al-Ashaikh, issued a fatwā (religious opinion) opposing petitions and demonstrations, declaring, "Therefore the council hereby reaffirms that only the reform and [counsel] that has its legitimacy is that which may bring welfare and avert the evil, whereas it is illegal to issue statements and take signatures for the purposes of intimidation and inciting the strife.

The Council affirms prohibition of the demonstrations in this country and [that] the legal method which realizes the welfare without causing destruction rests on the mutual advice.

"[146][147] The fatwa included a "severe threat against internal dissent",[8] stating, "[The Prophet] again said: 'He who wanted separate affairs of this nation who are unified, you should kill him with sword whoever he is' (narrated by Muslim)."

[17][18] Associated Press described the election announcement as having "coincided with rumblings of dissent in Saudi Arabia stemming from the wave of political unrest in the Arab world".

[38] On 18 February, the ten founding members of the Umma Islamic Party were arrested and ordered to withdraw demands for political reform in exchange for their release.

[39] On 9 March, Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal stated that the government would not tolerate any street protests against it, while also saying that the "best way to achieve demands is through national dialogue".

[150] On 21 March, Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) co-founder Mohammed Saleh Albejadi (also Al-Bjady) was arrested in Buraidah by Mabahith, the internal security agency.

On 27 March 2011, Human Rights Watch estimated that the "scale of arrests [rose] dramatically during the preceding two weeks", up to about 160 protesters and critics being held without charge.

[16] In early January 2012, Saudi authorities published the names of a list of 23 people who were allegedly involved in the October 2011 Awamiyah/Qatif protests, calling for their arrests.

[154] On 10 January, Aqeel al-Yaseen was wounded in al-Awamiyah by security forces, arrested and transferred to a Mabahith facility in Dammam, and forbidden family visits.

[149] On 21 February 2011, oil prices rose in response to the 2011 Libyan civil war and speculation regarding 11 March Saudi Arabian Day of Rage.