Shiite imam sentenced to death by Saudi judge

Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr has become the most prominent cleric calling for more rights for the Shiite minority and is accused by the government of helping to instigate the unrest which broke out in Qatif during the regional uprisings in 2011.

RIYADH // A Saudi judge sentenced to death a prominent Shiite cleric on Wednesday for sedition, his family said.

Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr was detained in July 2012 following demonstrations that erupted in February 2011 in the east of the country.

The cleric was also convicted of seeking “foreign meddling” in the country, a reference to Iran, his brother Mohammed Al Nimr wrote on Twitter.

He was found guilty of “disobeying” the kingdom’s rulers and taking up arms against security forces, his brother said.

The sentence could raise tensions in Qatif, which has been the focal point of anti-government demonstrations, but where the frequency of protests has died down over the past year.

His arrest, during which he was shot and wounded by police, prompted several days of protests in which three people were killed. Protests continued sporadically in Qatif, where more than 20 people died in violence, until 2013.

Al Nimr has become the most prominent cleric calling for more rights for the Shiite minority and is accused by the government of helping to instigate the unrest which broke out in Qatif during the regional uprisings in 2011.

Al Nimr’s family accused the court of ignoring the his “peaceful and non violent approach,” saying the case had caused “social and political discontent”.

Al Nimr, who is in his 50s, had been on trial since March 2013. Last year a prosecutor said he was seeking to convict Al Nimr for “aiding terrorists”.

“I think the government is giving a show of strength against anyone who thinks of opposition,” said Tawfiq Al Seif, a community leader in Qatif.

Earlier this year two other Shiite men involved in the protests were sentenced to death, including Ali Al Nimr, the son of Mohammed Al Nimr, who was a minor at the time of the demonstrations.

The sentences have yet to be carried out.

* Reuters and Agence France-Presse