Saudi Arabia Executes 47 Prisoners, Including Shiite Cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Namir

02 January, Riyadh

Saudi Arabia says it has executed 47 prisoners today, including Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The cleric’s name was among a list of the 47 carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

It cited the Interior Ministry for the information. Saudi state television also reported the executions. Al-Nimr was a central figure in Shiite protests that erupted in 2011 with respect to the Arab Spring. Most of those executed were involved in a series of attacks carried out by al Qaeda from 2003-06, Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Sheikh Nimr was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011, where a Shia majority have long complained of marginalisation. His arrest two years ago during which he was shot, triggered days of unrest. Sheikh Nimr’s death sentence was confirmed in October. Iran has warned that executing Nimr would cost Saudi Arabia dearly.

Saudi Arabia carried out at least 157 executions in 2015, with beheadings reaching their highest level in the kingdom in two decades, according to several advocacy groups that monitor the death penalty worldwide.