Communist Party in Saudi Arabia
Encyclopedia
The Communist Party in Saudi Arabia was a political party
in Saudi Arabia
. The CPSA was formed on August 31, 1975. It had its origins in the National Renewal Front which was founded on September 23, 1954 and transformed in the National Liberation Front on October 17, 1958. The NLF was part of the Arab National Liberation Front since 1963. The communists inside the NLF had a separate organization called the Organization of Saudi Communists (OSC). The remainder of the NLF founded the CPSA in 1975.
The party was always illegal and persecuted by the regime.
The CPSA had a youth organization, the Union of Democratic Youth - Saudi Arabia (Ittihad ash-Shabab ad-Dimuqrati fi al-Sa'udiyah), with office in Damascus
, Syria
. Other organizations close to the CPSA were the Workers' Federation of Saudi Arabia, the National Union of Students of Saudi Arabia
(NUSSA) and the Democratic Women's League of Saudi Arabia.
Its central organ was Tariq al-Qadyhin ("Way of the Toilers").
The CPSA had close relations with other Arab communist parties and was a pro-Soviet party.
The party had renamed itself as Democratic Unification in Saudi Arabia (التجمع الديموقراطي في السعودية) in the beginning of the 1990s. Soon thereafter, the regime released the political prisoners of the party in exchange that the party promised to disband.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. The CPSA was formed on August 31, 1975. It had its origins in the National Renewal Front which was founded on September 23, 1954 and transformed in the National Liberation Front on October 17, 1958. The NLF was part of the Arab National Liberation Front since 1963. The communists inside the NLF had a separate organization called the Organization of Saudi Communists (OSC). The remainder of the NLF founded the CPSA in 1975.
The CPSA had a youth organization, the Union of Democratic Youth - Saudi Arabia (Ittihad ash-Shabab ad-Dimuqrati fi al-Sa'udiyah), with office in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Other organizations close to the CPSA were the Workers' Federation of Saudi Arabia, the National Union of Students of Saudi Arabia
National Union of Students of Saudi Arabia
The National Union of Students of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1977. The organization was banned in Saudi Arabia, and function in exile in Syria. NUSSA held consultative membership in the International Union of Students....
(NUSSA) and the Democratic Women's League of Saudi Arabia.
Its central organ was Tariq al-Qadyhin ("Way of the Toilers").
The CPSA had close relations with other Arab communist parties and was a pro-Soviet party.
The party had renamed itself as Democratic Unification in Saudi Arabia (التجمع الديموقراطي في السعودية) in the beginning of the 1990s. Soon thereafter, the regime released the political prisoners of the party in exchange that the party promised to disband.