Londoners decry Sheikh Nimr sentence outside Saudi embassy United Kingdom

Activists once again gathered outside the Saudi embassy in London calling on Riyadh to halt the execution

Activists once again gathered outside the Saudi embassy in London calling on Riyadh to halt the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqi al-Nimr and his nephew.

The participants in the rally held placards reading “free Sheikh Nimr” and “sentenced to death due to the idea of election system.”

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court upheld a death sentence issued against the cleric last year. The execution warrant will be sent to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to be approved and then implemented.

Sheikh Nimr was attacked and arrested in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region of Qatif in July 2012, and has been charged with undermining the kingdom’s security, making anti-government speeches, and defending political prisoners. He has denied the accusations.

Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr, the cleric’s nephew, has also been sentenced to death over his alleged role in anti-regime protests in 2012, when he was 17 years old. 

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called on Saudi Arabia to halt Nimr’s execution, according to reports.