Ban Ki-moon 'Deeply Dismayed' by Sheikh Nimr Execution
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply dismayed" by the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others in Saudi Arabia and called for calm and restraint.
"Sheik al-Nimr and a number of the other prisoners executed had been convicted following trials that raised serious concerns over the nature of the charges and the fairness of the process," Ban's spokesman said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Ban had raised Nimr's case with Saudi leaders on a number of occasions and urged Saudi Arabia to commute all death sentences that had been imposed, the spokesman claimed.
"The Secretary-General also calls for calm and restraint in reaction to the execution of Sheikh Nimr and urges all regional leaders to work to avoid the exacerbation of sectarian tensions," the spokesman added.
Saudi Arabia executed 47 prisoners on Saturday, including Sheikh Nimr. Among them were four Shiite Muslims accused of anti-government protests in recent years.
The executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. The bodies were then hanged from gibbets in the most severe form of punishment available in the kingdom's law.
Sheikh Nimr was detained in July 2012 on charges of delivering anti-regime speeches and defending political prisoners.