Protests and sit-ins calling for political prisoners[86] to be released spread beyond the Eastern Province to protests at the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh on 20 March[87] and in Riyadh and Buraidah in December 2011,[56][88][89] and in July and August 2012 in front of the Ministry in Riyadh,[90][91] in Mecca[92] in Ta'if,[93] in Buraidah,[94] and near al-Ha'ir Prison.[95][96][97]