BEIRUT (Dispatches) – A group of Saudi dissidents exiled in countries including the United Kingdom and United States have announced the launch of an opposition party, the first organized political resistance under King Salman’s rule. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any political opposition, but the formation of the National Assembly Party on the anniversary of the kingdom’s founding came amid a growing crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression by the regime. Past attempts to organize politically in the Persian Gulf state in 2007 and 2011 were suppressed and members arrested.