This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jan/02/middle-east-condemns-saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-live

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 12 Version 13
Execution of Shia cleric sparks international outrage – as it happened Execution of Shia cleric sparks international outrage – as it happened
(30 days later)
4.52pm GMT4.52pm GMT
16:5216:52
I’ll leave you with this striking image from one of the protests in Bahrain. The banner reads “to hell with you”.I’ll leave you with this striking image from one of the protests in Bahrain. The banner reads “to hell with you”.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.55pm GMTat 4.55pm GMT
4.40pm GMT4.40pm GMT
16:4016:40
SummarySummary
Nicola SlawsonNicola Slawson
Thanks for joining me today. I’m signing off now so here’s a quick round-up of the days events:Thanks for joining me today. I’m signing off now so here’s a quick round-up of the days events:
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.42pm GMTat 4.42pm GMT
4.25pm GMT4.25pm GMT
16:2516:25
My colleague Simon Tisdall’s comment piece is live. Here’s a snippet:My colleague Simon Tisdall’s comment piece is live. Here’s a snippet:
Nimr’s imprisonment and the prospect of mass executions brought calls in Britain and elsewhere for clemency, amid claims by Human Rights Watch campaignersthat the trials of the suspects were deeply unjust.Nimr’s imprisonment and the prospect of mass executions brought calls in Britain and elsewhere for clemency, amid claims by Human Rights Watch campaignersthat the trials of the suspects were deeply unjust.
Nimr’s case also became a cause celebre across the Shia world, framed in geopolitical as well as humanitarian terms. His fate was linked to the broader, region-wide struggle for power and influence between the Sunni sphere, championed by the House of Saud, on the one hand, and the theocrats of Iran, the most powerful majority Shia state, on the other. Iran repeatedly demanded Nimr’s release, warning Riyadh in October, when his death sentence was confirmed, that executing him would place a “heavy price on Saudi Arabia”.Nimr’s case also became a cause celebre across the Shia world, framed in geopolitical as well as humanitarian terms. His fate was linked to the broader, region-wide struggle for power and influence between the Sunni sphere, championed by the House of Saud, on the one hand, and the theocrats of Iran, the most powerful majority Shia state, on the other. Iran repeatedly demanded Nimr’s release, warning Riyadh in October, when his death sentence was confirmed, that executing him would place a “heavy price on Saudi Arabia”.
Read the full piece here.Read the full piece here.
4.14pm GMT4.14pm GMT
16:1416:14
Saudi Arabia is trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. Lots of people are sharing this clip on social media from a Channel 4 interview Jon Snow did with David Cameron in October.Saudi Arabia is trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. Lots of people are sharing this clip on social media from a Channel 4 interview Jon Snow did with David Cameron in October.
After asking about the fate of Nimr’s nephew, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr who has also been sentenced to death, Snow repeatedly challenged Cameron about the UK’s relations with Saudi Arabia.After asking about the fate of Nimr’s nephew, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr who has also been sentenced to death, Snow repeatedly challenged Cameron about the UK’s relations with Saudi Arabia.
3.55pm GMT3.55pm GMT
15:5515:55
Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted a tribute to Nimr, adding his voice to a chorus of condemnation in Iran and beyond.Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted a tribute to Nimr, adding his voice to a chorus of condemnation in Iran and beyond.
Awakening is not suppressible. 16/5/2015 #SheikhNimr, #NimrAlNimr, #NimrMartyred pic.twitter.com/bVTz61FTDNAwakening is not suppressible. 16/5/2015 #SheikhNimr, #NimrAlNimr, #NimrMartyred pic.twitter.com/bVTz61FTDN
“Awakening is not suppressible,” read the tweet on Khamenei’s English-language Twitter account, next to a photograph of Nimr.“Awakening is not suppressible,” read the tweet on Khamenei’s English-language Twitter account, next to a photograph of Nimr.
Khamenei’s website also carried an image comparing Saudi Arabia to extremist group Islamic State, suggesting that they both execute their opponents.Khamenei’s website also carried an image comparing Saudi Arabia to extremist group Islamic State, suggesting that they both execute their opponents.
3.48pm GMT3.48pm GMT
15:4815:48
More countries are joining the outcry over the executions, this time Germany. A German foreign ministry official expressed concern Nimr’s execution and reaffirmed the country’s view that the death penalty is an inhumane form of punishment.More countries are joining the outcry over the executions, this time Germany. A German foreign ministry official expressed concern Nimr’s execution and reaffirmed the country’s view that the death penalty is an inhumane form of punishment.
“The execution of Nimr al-Nimr strengthens our existing concerns about increasing tensions and deepening rifts in the region,” said the official, who declined to be named.“The execution of Nimr al-Nimr strengthens our existing concerns about increasing tensions and deepening rifts in the region,” said the official, who declined to be named.
Unsurprisingly, bucking the trend are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, who as members of a Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen praised their ally.Unsurprisingly, bucking the trend are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, who as members of a Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen praised their ally.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan described the executions as a “clear message against terrorism and those who call for and incite sedition and unrest to tear apart the society’s unity and threaten social peace in the kingdom”.UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan described the executions as a “clear message against terrorism and those who call for and incite sedition and unrest to tear apart the society’s unity and threaten social peace in the kingdom”.
Bahrain, where protesters clashed with police earlier today, also backed Riyadh in “all deterrent and needed measures it takes to confront violence and extremism”.Bahrain, where protesters clashed with police earlier today, also backed Riyadh in “all deterrent and needed measures it takes to confront violence and extremism”.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.49pm GMTat 3.49pm GMT
3.34pm GMT3.34pm GMT
15:3415:34
The speaker of Iran’s parliament says the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr will prompt a “maelstrom” in Saudi Arabia.The speaker of Iran’s parliament says the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr will prompt a “maelstrom” in Saudi Arabia.
In comments posted on Iranian state television’s website, Ali Larijani said: “Nimr’s martyrdom will put Saudi Arabia in a maelstrom. Saudi will not pass through this maelstrom.”In comments posted on Iranian state television’s website, Ali Larijani said: “Nimr’s martyrdom will put Saudi Arabia in a maelstrom. Saudi will not pass through this maelstrom.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.40pm GMTat 3.40pm GMT
3.15pm GMT3.15pm GMT
15:1515:15
Here’s some footage of Saudi Arabia’s interior minister announcing the mass execution earlier today.Here’s some footage of Saudi Arabia’s interior minister announcing the mass execution earlier today.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.40pm GMTat 3.40pm GMT
3.13pm GMT3.13pm GMT
15:1315:13
Hammond must 'seek fresh assurances' about the fate of Nimr's nephew, says BennHammond must 'seek fresh assurances' about the fate of Nimr's nephew, says Benn
The sheikh’s execution has raised fears that his nephew Ali al-Nimr, who was 17 when he was arrested, could also have the death sentence imposed on him carried out.The sheikh’s execution has raised fears that his nephew Ali al-Nimr, who was 17 when he was arrested, could also have the death sentence imposed on him carried out.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, used his conference speech in September to call on David Cameron to intervene in the case.The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, used his conference speech in September to call on David Cameron to intervene in the case.
Hilary Benn told the Press Association: “With the carrying out of this large number of executions there will now be huge international concern about what will happen to Ali Mohammed al-Nimr who is Sheikh Nimr’s nephew. He was just 17 years old when he was sentenced to death.Hilary Benn told the Press Association: “With the carrying out of this large number of executions there will now be huge international concern about what will happen to Ali Mohammed al-Nimr who is Sheikh Nimr’s nephew. He was just 17 years old when he was sentenced to death.
“The foreign secretary has told parliament that he does not expect Ali Mohammed al-Nimr to be executed, but he now needs to seek fresh assurances that he will be reprieved.”“The foreign secretary has told parliament that he does not expect Ali Mohammed al-Nimr to be executed, but he now needs to seek fresh assurances that he will be reprieved.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.41pm GMTat 3.41pm GMT
3.07pm GMT3.07pm GMT
15:0715:07
Farron calls on prime minister to do more about death penalty abroadFarron calls on prime minister to do more about death penalty abroad
The UK foreign office has released a statement.The UK foreign office has released a statement.
A spokeswoman said: “The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country. The death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent.A spokeswoman said: “The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country. The death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent.
“The foreign decretary regularly raises human rights issues with his counterparts in countries of concern, including Saudi Arabia. We seek to build strong and mature relationships so that we can be candid with each other about those areas on which we do not agree, including on human rights.”“The foreign decretary regularly raises human rights issues with his counterparts in countries of concern, including Saudi Arabia. We seek to build strong and mature relationships so that we can be candid with each other about those areas on which we do not agree, including on human rights.”
The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, responded to news of the executions by describing capital punishment as abhorrent, and called on the prime minister to do more to pressure foreign governments into abolishing the death penalty.The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, responded to news of the executions by describing capital punishment as abhorrent, and called on the prime minister to do more to pressure foreign governments into abolishing the death penalty.
Farron said: “I utterly condemn Saudi Arabia for the execution of 47 people including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Capital punishment is utterly abhorrent and the prime minister needs to turn round to our ‘ally’ and tell them capital punishment is wrong.Farron said: “I utterly condemn Saudi Arabia for the execution of 47 people including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Capital punishment is utterly abhorrent and the prime minister needs to turn round to our ‘ally’ and tell them capital punishment is wrong.
“In 2014, 90 people were beheaded in the kingdom, the highest in two decades. In just two days they have killed 47 people.“In 2014, 90 people were beheaded in the kingdom, the highest in two decades. In just two days they have killed 47 people.
“Britain must live our values and criticise nations like Saudi Arabia that continue this heinous and barbarous punishment.”“Britain must live our values and criticise nations like Saudi Arabia that continue this heinous and barbarous punishment.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.43pm GMTat 3.43pm GMT
2.55pm GMT2.55pm GMT
14:5514:55
Here’s some video footage of a demonstration in the village of al-Awamiyah, Saudi Arabia. Protesters chanted and carried posters of Nimr.Here’s some video footage of a demonstration in the village of al-Awamiyah, Saudi Arabia. Protesters chanted and carried posters of Nimr.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.45pm GMTat 3.45pm GMT
2.53pm GMT2.53pm GMT
14:5314:53
Nimr execution sparks demonstrations in PakistanNimr execution sparks demonstrations in Pakistan
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.45pm GMTat 3.45pm GMT
2.48pm GMT2.48pm GMT
14:4814:48
Human Rights groups in Bahrain and Europe have joined Reprieve and Human Rights Watch in condemning the executions, describing them as “the most serious crime imaginable”.Human Rights groups in Bahrain and Europe have joined Reprieve and Human Rights Watch in condemning the executions, describing them as “the most serious crime imaginable”.
The European Centre for Democracy & Human Rights (ECDHR), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) released a joint statement which says they condemn the Saudi government’s actions in the “strongest and most absolute terms”. It also calls on the international community “to intervene in order to prevent any further bloodshed”.The European Centre for Democracy & Human Rights (ECDHR), Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) released a joint statement which says they condemn the Saudi government’s actions in the “strongest and most absolute terms”. It also calls on the international community “to intervene in order to prevent any further bloodshed”.
The statement described Nimr as “a peaceful reformist that espoused non-violence in his dissent against the government of Saudi Arabia.”The statement described Nimr as “a peaceful reformist that espoused non-violence in his dissent against the government of Saudi Arabia.”
“He championed the equality for all Saudi citizens, and vocally supported the anti-government peaceful protests that occurred in the country’s Eastern province and over parts of the country in 2011. the groups said. The government of Saudi Arabia has historically discriminated against its human rights defenders and reformers; his execution is likely to further destabilise the country.”“He championed the equality for all Saudi citizens, and vocally supported the anti-government peaceful protests that occurred in the country’s Eastern province and over parts of the country in 2011. the groups said. The government of Saudi Arabia has historically discriminated against its human rights defenders and reformers; his execution is likely to further destabilise the country.”
Husain Abdulla, the executive director of ADHRB, said: “The execution of Nimr is not only the most serious crime imaginable against a single person – it is also a crime against human rights, democracy, and human dignity.Husain Abdulla, the executive director of ADHRB, said: “The execution of Nimr is not only the most serious crime imaginable against a single person – it is also a crime against human rights, democracy, and human dignity.
“Saudi Arabia was able to commit the crime of executing Nimr because it felt the international community its silent on its gross human rights violations.”“Saudi Arabia was able to commit the crime of executing Nimr because it felt the international community its silent on its gross human rights violations.”
Along with Nimr, 46 others were executed, which the government “miscellaneously described as guilty of terrorism-related offences”. Saudi Arabia maintains an expansive and over-reaching definition of terrorism, the statement said, which can include anything from violent crime to peacefully insulting the king or the minister of interior over Twitter.Along with Nimr, 46 others were executed, which the government “miscellaneously described as guilty of terrorism-related offences”. Saudi Arabia maintains an expansive and over-reaching definition of terrorism, the statement said, which can include anything from violent crime to peacefully insulting the king or the minister of interior over Twitter.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.49pm GMTat 3.49pm GMT
2.23pm GMT2.23pm GMT
14:2314:23
Security forces in Saudi Arabia are 'on high alert' as anger mountsSecurity forces in Saudi Arabia are 'on high alert' as anger mounts
Hundreds of armoured vehicles have been sent to Qatif to contain protests in response to the execution as anger mounts in Shia communities.Hundreds of armoured vehicles have been sent to Qatif to contain protests in response to the execution as anger mounts in Shia communities.
In response to several demonstrations in Qatif, armoured vehicles have been spotted entering the governorate as resistance groups in the area call on people to join the protests.In response to several demonstrations in Qatif, armoured vehicles have been spotted entering the governorate as resistance groups in the area call on people to join the protests.
Security forces in other Shia-populated areas are also said to be on high alert, while many police stations and security posts have been closed in case of repercussions.Security forces in other Shia-populated areas are also said to be on high alert, while many police stations and security posts have been closed in case of repercussions.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.51pm GMTat 3.51pm GMT
2.13pm GMT
14:13
Saudi Arabia was “profoundly wrong” to execute Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, Hilary Benn has said in a statement.
“Amnesty International expressed serious concerns about the charges and his trial, and we are opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances,” the shadow foreign secretary added.
Updated
at 3.51pm GMT
2.05pm GMT
14:05
Shia cleric calls for demonstrations in Gulf countries
The prominent Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, has called for demonstrations in Gulf countries and Iraq to protest against Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s execution.
“I ask that the Shias of Saudi Arabia … show courage in responding even through peaceful demonstrations, and the same for the Shias in the Gulf, so as to deter injustice and government terrorism in the future,” he said on his website.
“I urge … angry demonstrations in front of Saudi sites and interests, and I urge the government to refrain from opening the Saudi embassy,” he said.
Scores of Shiaa in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province have already marched through Nimr’s home district of Qatif shouting “down with the Al Saud”, and dozens more gathered in Indian controlled Kashmiri. In Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled kingdom allied to Saudi Arabia, protesters clashed violently with police.
In Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, state media channels carried non-stop coverage of clerics and secular officials eulogising Nimr and predicting the downfall of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family.
Shia leaders in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Yemen also warned of reprisals, in a signal that sectarian conflict across the Middle East could be further inflamed.
When Saudi Arabian security forces arrested Nimr in July 2012, it sparked days of protests in which three people died.
Updated
at 3.54pm GMT
1.49pm GMT
13:49
Hassan Hassan
Hassan Hassan, Middle East expert and co-author of Isis: Inside the Army of Terror, explains the significance of Nimr’s execution.
The execution of Nimr al-Nimr despite his high profile, popularity and the media pressure shows that for Saudi Arabia the stakes are higher if it pardoned the cleric. He was a key mobiliser of young Shia in the kingdom and beyond. He publicly called for wilayat al-faqih (the rule of cleric, the model currently in place in Iran) in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, though he also called for standing against tyrants regardless of their sect and he named Bashar al-Assad as a tyrant alongside Bahrain’s rulers.
By executing him, Saudi Arabia is sending a message to outsiders and locals alike, that no matter what the world says, authorities will condemn and execute those who cross the redlines.
The timing of the execution, which also include Sunni extremists, makes it the message particularly relevant. It comes at the backdrop of a series of political moves by Riyadh to consolidate its regional alliances, such as the Ankara-Doha-Riyadh axis and the broader bloc of various Muslim countries under the so-called Islamic Coalition.
Also, this follows a strong-worded statement by Sheikh Abdelaziz Al Sheikh, the Saudi mufti, against Isis last week in which he called an extension of a dissentient religious movement that raised similar slogans. This focus on Shia and Sunni opponents - at home or in the neighbourhood - is important for Saudi Arabia to appease the population, show balance and demonstrate strength in a volatile regional landscape.
Updated
at 1.59pm GMT
1.30pm GMT
13:30
Protests have broken out in Indian-controlled Kashmir
Hundreds of Shia Muslims in Indian-controlled Kashmir have rallied in the Shia-dominated areas in protest against the execution.
Updated
at 2.01pm GMT
1.18pm GMT
13:18
Mark Townsend
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution by Saudi Arabia has sparked condemnation across the Middle East, rose to international prominence during the pro-democracy protests that erupted in the country’s eastern provinces in 2011.
Nimr’s staunch and vocal support of the movement in those regions where the Shia have a majority but have frequently complained of marginalisation, saw the 56-year-old cited as the driving force behind the protests while affording him hero status among Saudi’s Shia youth.
To the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s ruling elite, however, Nimr had become a high-profile thorn in its side. Inspired by the Arab Spring, mass anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia in 2011 included public speeches by Nimr that urged an end to the al-Saud monarchy and pushed for equality for the state’s Shia community.Read the rest of this analysis piece by my colleague Mark Townsend here.
Updated
at 2.34pm GMT
1.12pm GMT
13:12
Here’s more on the ceasefire with Yemen ending.
Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition that has been battling Iran-backed rebels in neighbouring Yemen since March. The ceasefire announced on 15 December has now been ended due to continuous rebel “attacks on the kingdom’s territories by firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi cities, targeting Saudi border posts, and hampering aid operations,” it said.
The rebels have also “continued to shell residents and kill and detain Yemeni civilians in cities under their control,” said the coalition. “All this shows how unserious the militias and their allies are and their disregard for the lives of civilians, and how they have clearly exploited this truce to make gains.”
However, the coalition “was and is still eager on creating the suitable circumstances to find a peaceful solution in Yemen,” it said.
12.59pm GMT
12:59
The execution of Nimr will mark the end of Saudi Arabia’s government, according to Iraq’s former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
“We strongly condemn these detestable sectarian practices and affirm that the crime of executing Sheikh al-Nimr will topple the Saudi regime as the crime of executing the martyr (Mohammed Baqir) al-Sadr did to Saddam (Hussein),” said Maliki, referring to another prominent Shia cleric killed in 1980.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah also condemned the execution, calling it an “assassination”.
The “real reason” for the execution was “that Sheikh Nimr ... demanded the squandered rights of an oppressed people,” the group said in a statement, apparently referring to Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority.
Updated
at 2.04pm GMT
12.47pm GMT
12:47
The execution of Nimr serves the interests of Islamic State, a prominent Iraqi lawmaker with ties to Iran said in a statement condemning the act.
“The execution of Sheikh al-Nimr is a service to Daesh, which is betting on expanding by igniting sectarian wars,” said Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shia politician and member of the powerful Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) party.
Updated
at 2.33pm GMT
12.37pm GMT
12:37
Saudi Shia Muslims chant 'down with Al Saud' as they protest execution
Scores of Shia Muslims marched through the Qatif district of Saudi Arabia’s eastern province on Saturday in protest at the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an eyewitness said.
He was one of four members of Saudi Arabia’s minority sect were executed alongside 43 Sunni jihadists.
The protesters chanted “down with the Al Saud”, the name of the ruling Saudi royal family, as they marched from Nimr’s home village of al-Awamiya to the region’s main town of Qatif, the only district in Saudi Arabia where Shia’s are a majority.
Similar protests broke out in Bahrain, where tear gas was fired at protesters.
Updated
at 1.34pm GMT
12.15pm GMT
12:15
Recently reopened Saudi embassy in Iraq 'should be closed' in protest
Iraqi leaders are calling for the closure of Riyadh’s newly reopened embassy in Baghdad.
Khalaf Abdelsamad, who heads the parliamentary bloc of Iraq’s Shia Dawa party - to which both Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki belong - said Baghdad should take action.
“Abdelsamad urges the Iraqi government to close down the Saudi embassy, expel the ambassador and execute all Saudi terrorists in Iraqi prisons,” a statement from his office said.
The Saudi embassy in Baghdad only just reopened on 15 December, a quarter of a century after relations were broken over Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The ambassador himself has only been in the country for three days.
“The execution of Sheikh al-Nimr will have serious consequences and bring about the end of the Al-Saud (royal family’s) rule,” Abdelsamad’s office said.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of the most powerful Shia militias in the country, reacted with similar demands. Meanwhile, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, a top leader in the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary group that is dominated by Tehran-backed militias, condemned Nimr’s execution.
“Even as the rulers of Saudi Arabia are supporting terror in the entire world by sending takfiris, weapons and car bombs to Muslim countries, today they executed the most honest man in Saudi Arabia,” he said in a statement.
Takfir is a part of the ideology of some extremist Sunni groups - such as the Islamic State group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria - that considers other Muslims infidels.
Mohandis has close ties with Tehran, which reacted by warning Saudi Arabia that it would pay a “high price”.
“The Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution,” an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said.
Updated
at 12.16pm GMT