Saudi Shia Cleric ‘Sentenced to Death’

KABUL: (Middle East Press) A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr to death, his family says.

Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr’s brother said he was found guilty of seeking “foreign interfering” in the kingdom, “disobeying” its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces.

The cleric was an oral supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011.

His arrest two years ago, during which he was shot, triggered days of unrest.

Oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained of marginalization at the hands of the Sunni royal family.

Protests began there in February 2011 after the start of the pro-democracy uprising in neighboring Bahrain, which has a Shia majority and a Sunni royal family.

The Saudi authorities deny discriminating against Shia and blame Iran for stirring up discontent

Sheikh Nimr’s brother Mohammed said on Twitter that he had been sentenced to death by Riyadh’s Specialized Criminal Court, which tries terrorism cases, on Wednesday morning.

A statement by the cleric’s family described the verdict as “discretionary”, saying the judge had the option of arresting a lighter sentence, according to the Associated Press. It also warned that the trial had been “political” and had set a “dangerous precedent for decades to come”.

When Sheikh Nimr, who holds the rank of ayatollah, went on trial in March 2013 prosecutors called for his execution by “crucifixion”, a punishment which in Saudi Arabia involves beheading followed by public display of the decapitated body.