Erdogan Calls Recent Executions in Saudi Arabia an Internal Matter

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, in his first reaction to the execution of 47 people in Saudi Arabia, including Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, stated that this is a legal matter pertaining to Saudi Arabia itself. Turkish media reported on Wednesday evening, January 6, Erdogan's remarks, which also criticized Iran for failing to prevent attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. He rejected the hypothesis that the execution of Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, was due to his religion and the conflicts between Shia and Sunni Muslims, stating that 46 of the individuals executed on Saturday in Saudi Arabia were Sunni and only one was Shia. However, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reminds that reports indicate four of the executed were Shia. Erdogan further stated, 'Saudi Arabia has decided to carry out the death penalty in its country and acts according to its own laws. Whether we agree with it or not is another matter, but this issue pertains to Saudi Arabia's internal laws.' The recent executions in Saudi Arabia, particularly the execution of Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, provoked a strong reaction from Iranian officials, including Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who warned that 'the hand of divine revenge will seize Saudi politicians.' However, the crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia escalated with individuals storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, setting them on fire, leading Saudi Arabia to sever diplomatic relations with Iran. Erdogan also harshly criticized Iran, calling such behavior 'unacceptable' and stating that Iran had not taken the necessary measures to protect Saudi diplomatic missions. Iranian officials attributed the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad to 'rogue forces,' with Hassan Rouhani strongly criticizing the incident, emphasizing that it was an insult to the regime and harmed the reputation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this context, Rouhani called for punishment for those responsible for the attack on the Saudi embassy. Djibouti severed relations with Iran, Qatar recalled its ambassador from Iran amid the Arab wave, and hundreds of Shia militia members protested in Baghdad against the execution of Nimr. Obama and Abadi held a phone conversation regarding tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian ambassador denied the reduction of relations between Jordan and Iran.