Saudi security forces have arrested a prominent Shia cleric over his praise for a fellow cleric who had been injured during recent clashes with government forces.

The 60-year-old Hussein al-Habbabi was arrested in Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, Fars news reported Sunday citing al-Rassed news.

Al-Habbabi was reportedly subjected to torture for awarding Javad al-Haziri a complementary paper, after he was released from a hospital where he received treatments for his wounds.

Al-Haziri was battered during the recent unrest in the holy city of Medina during clashes with the Saudi security forces.

The Shia minority makes up 10 percent of the kingdom's population of 22.6 million and has long complained of discrimination. They are barred from key positions in the military and government and are not given an equal share of the country's wealth.

Meanwhile, sources close to leading Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Namr claim that his followers have declared independence from the Kingdom, pushing for the creation of a country called the "The Republic of Eastern Arabia". However, Press TV could not independently confirm the claim.

Al-Namr, known for his fiery rhetoric, was the source of major turmoil earlier this year when he gave a provocative Friday sermon, threatened to break away from monarchy, should the Saudi authorities refrain from treating Shias with 'dignity'.

"We will demand our dignity be restored in all permissible ways.... If it comes down to it ... we will call for seceding from this nation," the 40-year-old proclaimed.

The comments caused the authorities to crack down on the Shia population residing in the country's Eastern Provinces, arresting more than 35 people in the area. The Sheikh himself has since remained in hiding.

Recently, a group of Saudi activists sent a petition to the Kingdom's rulers, calling for reforms that would reduce the royal family's grip on the country's political institutions.

The petition signed by 77 self-described "human rights activists" calls for a constitutional monarchy "like the UK, Jordan, and Morocco."

The country is also facing a budget deficit of USD 30 billion this year after oil prices slumped off record peaks last summer.

MT/MMN