Saturday, January 2, 2016

Saudi Arabia executes 47, including Shia cleric Nimr

Saudi Arabia has executed 47 "terrorists", according to the interior ministry, including Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr and al-Qaeda-affiliated Faris al-Zahrani.
In a press release read on state TV on Saturday, the ministry listed the names of all those it said were already convicted on charges of terrorism.
The death sentence of Nimr al-Nimr, who led anti-government protests in the country's east, was confirmed by the Supreme Court in October.
Faris al-Zahrani had been in custody ever since his detention near the Yemeni border in 2004 [Youtube]
Al-Zahani, once considered one of Saudi Arabia's "most wanted terrorists", was detained in 2004 while allegedly in possession of weapons.
Among those executed were an Egyptian citizen and a Chadian citizen, the ministry said.
It added that those convicted had participated in attacks against residential compounds and government buildings.
The announcement comes just days after Amnesty international said that Saudi Arabia executed at least 151 people in 2015, the most beheadings in 20 years.
"The Saudi Arabian authorities appear intent on continuing a bloody execution spree," Amnesty's report released on Monday said, quoting James Lynch, deputy director at the Middle East and North Africa programme.

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