A large number of men, women, and children in Saudi Arabia have staged a demonstration in the central province of al-Qassim to protest against the illegal detention of their relatives in the kingdom

A large number of men, women, and children in Saudi Arabia have staged a demonstration in the central province of al-Qassim to protest against the illegal detention of their relatives in the kingdom.

The demonstrators gathered at a prison on Sunday, but police restricted them to a cordoned off area for six hours, protesters and a human rights activist said, Reuters reported.

"We will stay here and not move until they listen to our demands and that is the release of our jailed relatives," said demonstrator Reema al-Juraish, who said her husband has been held in prison for eight years without charge. “We have 60 men, 45 women, and 13 children and we've been here without food or drink. The police said they would arrest anyone who tries to leave.”

Riyadh has banned all kind of demonstrations in the kingdom.

Activists say there are over 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia. Most of them are held without charge. Human rights groups have accused the House of Saud of imprisoning political dissidents.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.”