TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has blasted the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr by the Saudi regime, saying it runs contrary to human rights and Islamic values.

In a message published on Sunday, Rouhani called the Saudi Arabian government’s act “anti-Islamic” and “anti-human” which will lead to spread of terrorism and extremism.

“I have no doubt that Saudi Arabia has further tarnished its image among the countries, especially the Islamic countries, by taking this non-Islamic action. Such action is in line with sectarian policies and fueling terrorism and extremism in the region and the world which has led to destabilizing the region [the Mideast region] and waging war and clash,” he noted.

He also said attack on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran is not justifiable, noting it caused harm to Iran’s prestige.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced the execution Sheikh Nimr, a pro-democracy leader who was arrested in 2012.

According to Press TV, police on Saturday evening prevented angry protesters from storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on Sunday that 40 people have been arrested for entering the premises of the Saudi embassy.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari on Sunday called on protestors to avoid any demonstration in front of diplomatic missions.

He highlighted the importance of providing security at the Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.

According to reports, a number of protesters threw incendiary devices at the embassy building causing minor damage. Police forces, deployed to keep order, dispersed the angry crowd.

The office of Tehran governor issued statement on Sunday condemning as “illegal” the gathering outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran on Saturday night.

In the northeastern city of Mashhad, protesters also gathered outside the Saudi consulate.

------‘Execution of Sheikh Nimr will worsen regional security problems’

On Sunday Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani also said that execution of Sheikh Nimr will exacerbate security problems in the region, because this is an issue related to the world of Islam.

The Saudi regime has fueled war and insecurity in the region by taking “inhuman” and “wrong” actions especially in the last two years, he said in a message published on Sunday.

Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Expediency Council, also issued a statement on Sunday expressing condolences over the execution of Sheikh Nimr.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, also issued a message condemning the execution of the prominent cleric.


---Clerics, seminary students slam Nimr execution---

A group of clerics and seminary students held demonstrations on Sunday in the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad in condemnation of the execution of the prominent Shia cleric, Press TV reported.

Addressing the demonstrators in Qom, Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts, said Riyadh must immediately return the body of Sheikh Nimr to his family.

He predicted that Nimr’s execution will soon lead to the collapse of the Saudi regime.

The senior cleric added that Saudi Arabia has been the main contributor to the formation of Takfiri groups and is supporting them, while accusing Iran of backing terrorists.

The world must know that a bunch of inexperienced youths, influenced by Zionists, are running Saudi Arabia, Khatami said.

“Saudi Arabia is an ally to Zionists.”

According to the Sheikh’s brother, Mohamed Nimr, authorities refused to hand over the cleric’s body, burying him at an undisclosed cemetery.

He said that the family had intended to bury Nimr in his hometown, Qatif.

A number of political groups held a demonstration in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday afternoon to protest the execution of the pro-democracy cleric.




NA/PA


“Such action is in line with sectarian policies and fueling terrorism and extremism in the region and the world which has led to destabilizing the region,” President Rouhani say