Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants.
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Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair told reporters in Riyadh that the Iranian ambassador in Tehran had been given 48 hours to leave the country, citing concerns that Tehran’s Shiite government was undermining the security of the Sunni kingdom. It said he described the execution as a “political error”.
US Calls In Iran, Saudis To Reduce Tensions
Amnesty International criticised Nimr’s arrest for being part of a campaign by the Saudi authorities to quash all dissent. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “deeply dismayed” by the executions and called again for an end to the death penalty.
Executions have soared in Saudi Arabia since King Salman ascended the throne a year ago with 153 people put to death in 2015, almost twice as many as in 2014, for crimes ranging from murder to drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy.
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In October, al-Nimr lost a judicial appeal against his death sentence.
In a meeting with USA diplomats in 2008, al-Nimr sought to distance himself from Tehran, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks.
Islamic scholars around the world hold vastly different views on the application of the death penalty in Shariah law, with Saudi judges adhering to one of the strictest interpretations.
Q: Why does his execution matter?
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).
Iran and Iraq’s top Shiite leaders also condemned the execution, warning ahead of protests that the killing was an injustice that could have serious consequences. Many extremist Wahhabis regard all Shiites as heretics. He was the imam of a mosque in a majority Shiite area of eastern Saudi Arabia, where people have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the Sunni majority.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by a Shiite-led uprising since February 2011, with demands ranging from a constitutional monarchy to overthrowing the ruling dynasty altogether.
It is feared that the death of the outspoken cleric will exacerbate tensions in the region, with activists calling for further protests in Bahrain, and several demonstrations breaking out in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The widely seen miscarriage of justice against al-Nimr and the chilling determination to carry out his execution in spite of appeals for clemency is what makes the case so incendiary.
Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran amid the furor that erupted over the execution by the Saudi authorities of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Q: How did Iran react?
“There are flames inside the embassy… demonstrators were able to get inside but have since been cleared out”, ISNA news agency said.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei warned Saudi Arabia after the execution of “martyr” Nimr al-Nimr, saying it would “cost Saudi Arabia dearly”, according to Reuters.
“The divine hand of revenge will take the Saudi politicians by the throat”, Khamenei, Iran’s highest authority, said on Sunday.
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Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the attacks should stop, but Iran’s militia allies, some of whom are in direct conflict with Saudi Arabia and its allies, threatened retaliation.
