Washington D.C., Jan 6, 2016 / 17:00 pm
The U.S. chief religious freedom watchdog condemned Saudi Arabia's Jan. 2 execution of a Shi'a Muslim cleric as a violation of religious freedom, and called for global respect for human rights.
"Sheik al-Nimr's execution blatantly disregards the right to dissent and the right to religious freedom of Shi'a Muslims in the country and, as our State Department has noted and events tragically have documented, contributes to sectarian discord both within Saudi Arabia and in the region," Robert P. George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), stated on Tuesday.
George called on Saudi Arabia "to honor international standards of justice and ensure the religious freedom and equal protection rights of everyone in the Kingdom, including its Shi'a Muslim citizens."
Tensions in the region escalated quickly after Saudi Arabia's mass execution of 47 men on Jan. 2 included Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shi'a cleric and long-time activist for Shi'a rights in the kingdom who has been a public critic of the government.