Turkey: We Do Not Support the Execution of Sheikh Nimr

Neuman Kurtulmuş, the spokesperson for the Turkish government, reacted to the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, on Monday, January 4. He stated that Ankara cannot approve the execution of this cleric as it is fundamentally opposed to the death penalty. According to Reuters, the spokesperson emphasized in a press conference: "We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, especially in cases where the execution has political motives... We cannot support executions in any country." On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr along with 46 others. The execution of this Shia cleric sparked widespread reactions in Iran and several countries in the region. Neuman Kurtulmuş also asserted that the execution of Sheikh Nimr does not contribute to peace in the region. He added: "But Saudi Arabia and Iran are our friends, and we do not want war between the two, as the region lacks that." Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr, protesters attacked the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, setting part of the embassy building on fire. In response to the attack on the embassy and consulate, on Sunday, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, announced the withdrawal of his country's diplomats from Iran and declared the severance of Riyadh's relations with Tehran, stating that Iranian diplomats also have 48 hours to leave Saudi territory. Reactions to the attack on the Saudi embassy included Bahrain and Sudan announcing the severance of their diplomatic relations with Iran a day after the attack. Bahrain has given Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave its territory. State news agencies in Qatar and Kuwait reported statements from the Qatari Foreign Ministry and Mazrouq Ali Al-Ghanem, the Speaker of the Kuwaiti Parliament, describing the attacks on Saudi diplomatic premises in Iran as a "gross violation of a country's obligations to protect these premises and its personnel and a violation of the Vienna Convention," emphasizing the "full solidarity" of these two countries with Saudi Arabia. According to AFP, Mohammad al-Momani, the Information Minister and government spokesperson of Jordan, also strongly condemned the attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, deeming these attacks a violation of international laws and the Geneva Convention regarding the protection of diplomatic premises. Meanwhile, as tensions rise between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the US and Europe have called for restraint from both Riyadh and Tehran.