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US Calls In Iran, Saudis To Reduce Tensions
The night before, protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and torched it.
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Speaking at the funeral of one of the protesters, al-Nimr said, “We are determined to demand our legitimate rights by peaceful means”.
Iran’s police said it arrested 40 who had broken into the embassy.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Iranian diplomatic personnel had 48 hours to leave his country and all Saudi diplomatic personnel in Iran had been called home.
But Saudi Arabia’s executions have raised tensions sky-high.
The incidents came after the European Union expressed concern about possible “dangerous consequences” in a region already fraught with sectarian tensions.
While the split between Sunnis and Shiites dates back to the early days of Islam and disagreements over the successor to Prophet Muhammad, those divisions have only grown as they intertwine with regional politics, with both Iran and Saudi Arabia vying to be the Mideast’s top power.
One of the men executed was Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr who was notorious for heavily criticizing the Saudi royal family. In Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi wrote on Twitter that he was “shocked” and “saddened” at al-Nimr’s execution. “Repression does not last”.
Saudi officials denied that sectarianism had played any role in the executions. Al Ribeh participated in a huge number of terrorist operations that aimed at destabilizing security in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, USA state spokesman John Kirby appealed to Saudi Arabia’s government to respect and protect human rights, and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings.
Saudi allies like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates defended the kingdom.
The latest developments after Saudi Arabia executes a prominent opposition Shiite cleric convicted of terrorism charges, sparking anger in Iran and among Shiites across the region (All times local). “Four, including Sheikh Nimr, were Shiites accused of participating in violent demonstrations in which demonstrators and police were killed”. He was sentenced to death.
Another al-Qaida member who was executed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday is Ali Al Ribeh.
Saudi Arabia in turn accused Iran of sponsoring terror and undermining regional stability.
Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution was questioned around the world.
Al-Sadr made the assumption that al-Nimr had suffered the same fate.
Amnesty International criticised Nimr’s arrest for being part of a campaign by the Saudi authorities to quash all dissent. The government said he had been wounded in a shootout.
“I am calling on people not to get dragged into violence and to practice restraint and avoid bloodshed”, he told CNN. “To lump this guy with terrorists is a stretch”, Wehrey said.
He warned that his execution could trigger “negative reactions” inside and outside Saudi Arabia. Unlike most Saudi executions, those Saturday were not public.
The statement published on IRGC’s official website said the execution will be a prologue to the House of Saud’s downfall and the behavior is very similar to the atrocities of the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL and Daesh).
The 47 condemned were either shot by firing squad or beheaded.
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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “deeply dismayed” by the executions and called again for an end to the death penalty. At least 157 people were put to death past year, an increase from the 90 people killed in 2014.