Demonstration Against Decapitation

Kay Ayed reports on the campaign to save a condemned cleric.

KaySheikh1

The latest in a series of vigils in solidarity with Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, took place in London on 7th November. Many Shia Muslims travelled from East to West London in order to take part in the protest.

On 15th October a Saudi court condemned the cleric to death by decapitation and crucifixion. He was given 30 days in which to appeal. All over the world there have been demonstrations in support of his case.

Sheikh Nimr, an Islamic preacher from the Shia sect, has long been known for addressing controversial topics in his Friday sermons.

In July 2012, he was shot in the leg and arrested by Saudi authorities while on his way to his house in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. In response to his arrest, youths clashed with Saudi police and many were killed.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the cleric was charged with ‘instigating unrest’. But his brother Mohammed al-Nimr stated that the Interior Ministry had been targeting Sheikh Nimr for months because of his political opinions.

Eastern Province activists released pictures showing Sheikh Nimr in a car covered with a blood-stained white blanket. According to Iran’s Press TV, al-Nimr was ‘tortured, had bruises on his face and had broken teeth’.

Anti-government activists claim there are currently more than 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

Xena Hijjiya, head of the Free Sheikh Nimr Committee (FSNC), has arrived in Geneva to lobby the United Nations.

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