Saudis sentence Shia cleric to beheading followed by public display of his decapitated body. Say cleric 'sowed discord'-BBC

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10/15/14, "Saudi Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr 'sentenced to death'," BBC

"A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a prominent Shia cleric to death, his brother has said on Twitter.

Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr went on trial in Riyadh last year after being accused by prosecutors of "sowing discord" and "undermining national unity". 

The cleric was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011....

Oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained of marginalisation at the hands of the Sunni royal family....

Sheikh Nimr's brother said he had been sentenced to death by Riyadh's Specialised Criminal Court, which tries terrorism cases, on Wednesday morning.

When the cleric, who holds the rank of ayatollah, went on trial in March 2013 prosecutors called for his execution by "crucifixion", a punishment which in Saudi Arabia involves 

beheading followed by public display of the decapitated body."... 


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