Sheikh Nimr Execution to Expedite Al Saud’s Downfall: Iranian MP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian legislator gave Saudi Arabia a warning that imposing death penalty on Shiite religious figure Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr will push the kingdom’s royal family closer to downfall.
“By making this move (executing Nimr), Saudi Arabia will move closer to downfall, because the foundations of the Saudi regime are today more unstable than any other time,” member of Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Saleh Jokar told Tasnim on Saturday.
The parliamentarian also lashed out at Riyadh for sponsoring the terrorists fighting in Iraq and Syria, describing it as a sign of Saudi Arabia’s “specific policies in the region” that damage the interests of the Islamic world.
Sheikh Nimr was detained in July 2012 following demonstrations that erupted in February 2011 in Qatif region. He is accused of delivering anti-regime speeches and defending political prisoners.
His arrest has sparked widespread protests in Saudi Arabia, leaving several people dead.
Sheikh Nimr’s family reported on Wednesday that a Saudi judge has found him guilty of “sedition” and sentenced him to death.