Bahrain Mirror: Six human rights organizations issued a statement condemning with the harshest terms the implementation of the death sentence issued by the Saudi authorities against the prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, with three others prisoners of conscience.

"This crime is a result of the twisted justice system, the unfair trials and the dangerous enforcement of the Terrorism Act, characterized by its brutality against the opponents and critics of the authorities", read the statement.

"The death penalty against Al-Nimr and the three activists was implemented in a discriminatory manner; as it comes as part of the persecution of the minority religious Shiite sect. The Saudi authorities didn't respond to the international demands to withdraw this decision which was used as a political tool", added the organizations.

"Sheikh Al-Nimr was voicing his demands for political rights in a peaceful manner. He was also one of the advocates of dialogue and didn't call for political violence. However, the simple margin for the right to freedom of expression is prohibited in this state which flogs bloggers and detains them arbitrarily for expressing their opinions", they further stated.

"This step, which was taken amid the deteriorating human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, comes as Saudi authorities' continues to provide an incubating environment for hate speeches against the religious minority rather than make radical reforms to improve the human rights situation and promote civil peace and the principle of full citizenship", they added.

The organizations held the international community accountable for the implementation of this crime by the Saudi authorities, calling on the international human rights bodies and organizations to condemn what happened and work on punishing the officials in accordance with the principle of international justice.

The signatory organizations are: Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR), Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (KRC), International Council for Supporting Fair Trials and Human Rights in Geneva (ICSFT), Aman Network for Rehabilitation and Defending Human Rights, and Meezaan Center for Human Rights.

Arabic Issue