Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution by Saudi Arabia has sparked condemnation across the Middle East, rose to international prominence during the pro-democracy protests that erupted in the country’s eastern provinces in 2011.
Nimr’s staunch and vocal support of the movement in regions where the Shia majority had frequently complained of marginalisation, saw the 56-year-old cited as the driving force behind the protests while affording him hero status among Saudi’s Shia youth.To the Sunni kingdom’s ruling elite, however, Nimr had become a high-profile thorn in its side. Inspired by the Arab spring, Saudi Arabia’s mass anti-government protests of 2011 included public speeches by Nimr that urged an end to the Al Saud monarchy and pushed for equality for the state’s Shia community.
According to his supporters, the cleric was careful to avoid calling for violence and eschewed all but peaceful opposition to the government. On one occasion, he urged protesters to resist police bullets using only “the roar of the word”. As his role in the protests became more prominent, he warned the Saudi authorities that if they refused to “stop bloodshed”, the government’s repressive tendencies risked it being overthrown.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency announced in July 2012 that Nimr had been arrested and charged with instigating unrest, a chaotic incident during which the Shia cleric was shot and injured by police.
Nimr faced a series of serious charges, including “disobeying the ruler” and “encouraging, leading and participating in demonstrations”, allegations that human rights groups including Amnesty claimed violated free speech protections. The group went on to describe Nimr’s arrest as part of a campaign by the Saudi authorities to quash all dissent.
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