Sheikh Nimr, Critic Shia Cleric, Executed in Saudi Arabia

On Saturday, January 1, the Saudi Ministry of Interior officially announced that Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, was executed along with 46 others. According to Reuters, the statement broadcasted on Saudi television cited terrorism and primarily links to Al-Qaeda as the crimes of these individuals. Sheikh Nimr was sentenced to death in October 2014 for allegedly leading unrest and what was termed as paving the way for foreign intervention in Saudi Arabia. He was educated in Qom and was one of the influential Shia clerics in Saudi Arabia, recognized as a leader of Shia protests in 2011, and was considered a significant figure in the Qatif region of Eastern Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that the announcement of these executions began with the recitation of Quranic verses regarding retribution and the showing of footage from Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks over the past decade, followed by Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, appearing on television to describe these executions as just. The Saudi government arrested many Islamic extremists between 2003 and 2006 following a series of attacks by Al-Qaeda, with hundreds sentenced to death or imprisonment. Between 2011 and 2013, hundreds were also arrested during protests by the Shia minority in the country. Saudi officials stated that during these protests, police officers were attacked, resulting in several deaths. The execution of these 47 individuals marks the first executions in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the new Gregorian year, which is now in its second day. Reports indicate that at least 157 people were executed in Saudi Arabia over the past year. Following reports confirming Sheikh Nimr's death sentence, the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned against the execution, with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stating that this action would incur a 'heavy cost' for Saudi Arabia and that such 'provocative and sectarian approaches would not be in the interest of the Saudi government.' Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, also previously warned that executing this Shia cleric would lead to a serious security crisis in Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet officially responded to the news of Sheikh Nimr's execution, but in initial reactions, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts and temporary Friday prayer leader in Tehran, told Fars News Agency that 'Shia in Saudi Arabia will undoubtedly turn the day of Al Saud into a dark night because of this crime.' He referred to Saudi military actions in Yemen and the deaths of hundreds of Shia pilgrims, including Iranian pilgrims, during this year's Hajj, labeling Saudi Arabia as a criminal regime and describing Sheikh Nimr's execution as part of 'another one of these crimes.'