In the wake of the court’s decision to uphold the sentence against Sheikh Nimr, Iran warned that carrying out the execution could have dire consequences for Saudi Arabia, which is governed according to Sunni religious doctrine but has a sizable Shia minority.
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Nimr was arrested in 2012 after making calls to protest against Saudi’s Sunni monarchy. The police shot Nimr in the leg before taking him into custody. He was found guilty of sedition and other charges and sentenced to death in October a year ago. He was, however, careful to avoid calling for violence, analysts say. “This verdict could cause major trouble… because my brother Sheikh al-Nimr is a prominent figure for Shiites, mainly in the Gulf”.
The UK-based rights group Amnesty worldwide has called Nimr’s trial “deeply flawed” and the death sentence “appalling”, saying the verdict has to be quashed.
Saudi Arabia’s estimated two million Shias, who frequently complain of marginalization, live mostly in the east, where the vast majority of the OPEC kingpin’s huge oil reserves lie.
Al-Bilad newspaper has affirmed the importance of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa’s visits to other countries, noting that the Premier, as a wise statesman, is always to keen on enhancing Bahrain’s relations with other nations to bring about more gains for the citizens and boost the kingdom’s development and progress.
Iran warned on Sunday that the execution of leader of pro-democracy protests, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, would cost Riyadh dearly, shortly after Saudi court confirmed the death sentence against the Shiite cleric.
In August, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in an attack on a mosque used by members of a local security force in southwest Saudi Arabia, an assault that an online statement said was carried out by Islamic State.
Their case sparked global criticism, as the youths are believed to have been under age 18 at the time of their arrest.
The family of Karl Andree – a 74-year-old British man facing 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia after being caught with home-made wine – have pleaded for the government to intervene following reports that he is going to be flogged. The diplomats said that the kingdom “rejects any form of interference in its internal affairs and any impingement on its sovereignty”.
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At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokeswoman said the move had reflected the government’s decision to focus on domestic priorities.
