RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 47 persons including a prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr on charges of terrorism, the Saudi Interior ministry said in a press release.
In the press release read on State television on Saturday, it was told that the executed persons were involved in attacks on residential compounds and government buildings.
Meanwhile, strong protest reportedly broke out in Bahrain after Saudi Arabia announced the execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 by Saudi police in the Qatif region of Shia-dominated Eastern Province for his alleged involvement in instigating unrest by making anti-government speeches. However, Sheikh Nimr denied all charges.
But later in 2014 he was awarded death penalty. His death sentence was widely criticised and protests held in various countries across the world. The Amnesty International also criticized the process of Sheikh Nimr’s trial and said that it views the charges against the cleric as his right to free speech.
Last October, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also urged the Saudi authorities to revoke the Sheikh Nimr’s death verdict.
The Islamic Republic of Iran also warned the Saudis that executing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr would cost Saudi Arabia dearly.
