The execution on Saturday of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a vocal critic of the Saudi government, drew Shi’ite anger across the region, with protesters in regional rival Iran storming the Saudi Embassy and leaders condemning the move.
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Saudi Arabia breaks off diplomatic ties with Iran
His body was not given to his family, and was buried along with those of the other executed men shortly after the execution. But Saudi Arabia’s Western allies, many of whom supply it with arms, are growing concerned about its new assertiveness.
He also condemned Saudi Arabia’s execution of Nimr, calling it a violation of “human rights and Islamic values” and accusing the Sunni monarchy of pursuing “sectarian policies which have destabilized the region in recent years”.
Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran after embassy in Tehran attacked
A-Nemer’s execution prompted condemnations from Iranian officials and protests across the Shiite Muslim world. The executed cleric led a mosque in the predominantly Shiite eastern section of Saudi Arabia.
The executions set off a series of condemnations from Shia Muslims, particularly those in predominantly Shia Iran, where protesters threw Molotov cocktails into the Saudi embassy in Tehran and looted the officers.
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In Istanbul, hundreds of protesters, some carrying pictures of Nimr and chanting “Saudi Arabia will pay the price”, gathered outside its consulate on Sunday as riot police stood guard.
In return, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supporting terrorism, saying that their defense of terrorism makes them a “partner in their crimes in the entire region”.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest what it described as hostile remarks emerging from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr yesterday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaeda militants.
However, al-Nimr’s brother Mohammed al-Nimr has asked that any reaction to the execution be peaceful.
“During the long conversation, HRVP Mogherini was informed of the incident at the Saudi embassy and of the steps taken by the Iranian authorities to defuse the tensions and protect the Saudi diplomats”, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said following the phone talks between the officials.
In Bahrain, police fired tear gas and birdshot at demonstrators on Sitra Island, south of the capital, Manama, wounding some.
In Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called al-Nimr “the martyr, the holy warrior”, while protests erupted from Turkey to India to Pakistan.
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His execution, along with three other Shi’ites and 43 members of Al Qaeda, sparked angry protests in the Qatif region in eastern Saudi Arabia, where demonstrators denounced the ruling Al Saud dynasty, and in the nearby Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. Already yesterday there were public calls for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to shut the embassy down again.
