Execution of Sheikh Nimr Shows Riyadh’s Desperation: Iranian MP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian member of parliament denounced the Saudi Arabian regime’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, describing it as an indication of Riyadh’s desperation in the face of repeated failures in the Middle East.
“The execution of Sheikh Nimr is an unforgivable crime,” Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi told the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday.
The Saudi government committed the crime despite calls by numerous Muslim scholars for stopping the execution of such a prominent cleric, he noted.
“Saudi Arabians have been defeated in the region; they seriously failed in Yemen, and thus, their recent crime in killing Sheikh Nimr was out of desperation and failure in different fields,” Boroujerdi stressed.
He further warned that the Saudi regime will be gripped with a strong wave of discontent and opposition inside and outside the country after committing such a crime.
Saudi Arabia should accept the consequences, the Iranian lawmaker said, adding that countries like the United States that support Riyadh’s inhumane policies are complicit in its crimes.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry had also strongly condemned the execution, saying the Riyadh regime will pay dearly for pursuing such irresponsible policies.
“While extremist and Takfiri terrorists undermine security and calm in regional countries and the world, and threaten the stability and sovereignty of some regional governments, the execution of a figure like Sheikh Nimr, who had no tool but his voice to pursue political and religious purposes, only reveals the extent of imprudence and irresponsibility,” Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia executed 47 prisoners on Saturday, including Sheikh Nimr, the Arab country’s interior ministry said in a statement.
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.
Sheikh Nimr was detained in July 2012 on charges of delivering anti-regime speeches and defending political prisoners.
His arrest sparked widespread protests in the Arab country, leaving several people dead.