Nimr al-Nimr

Nimr Baqr al-Nimr ( ) (or Nimr Baqir al-Namr , Nimr Bakir al-Nimr , Nemr Baqir al-Nemr ) is an independent Shia Sheikh in al-Awamiyah , Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia . He is popular among youth and critical of the Saudi Arabian government . He claimed that he was beaten by Mabahith when arrested in 2006. In 2009, he criticised Saudi authorities and suggested secession of the Eastern Province if Saudi Shias' rights were not better respected. A warrant for his arrest was issued and 35 people were arrested. During the 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests , al-Nimr called for protestors to resist police bullets using "the roar of the word" rather than violence, predicted the overthrow of the government if repression continued, and was seen by The Guardian as having "taken the lead in [the] uprising". On 8 July 2012 al-Nimr was shot by police in the leg and arrested, in what police described as an exchange of gunfire. Thousands of people protested in response in several protests in which two men, Akbar al-Shakhouri and Mohamed al-Felfel, were killed by police bullets. Al-Nimr started a hunger strike and appeared to have been tortured . The Asharq Center for Human Rights expressed concern for al-Nimr's health during his hunger strike on 21 August, calling for international support to allow access by family, lawyer and human rights activists. On 15 October 2014, al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in [Saudi Arabia], 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces" and his brother, Mohammad al-Nimr, was arrested on the same day for tweeting information about the death sentence.

Shia Muslim religious figure and Saudi government critic; executed in 2016 Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr ( ; 21 June 1959 – 2 January 2016), commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr , was a Shia sheikh from Al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province whose arrest and execution was widely condemned, including by governments and human rights organizations. He was popular among youth and critical of the Saudi Arabian government , calling for free elections in Saudi Arabia . He was arrested by Saudi authorities in 2006, at which time al-Nimr said he was beaten by the Mabahith . In 2009, he criticised Saudi authorities and suggested that if Saudi Shia rights were not respected, the Eastern Province should secede . Saudi authorities responded by arresting al-Nimr and 35 others. During the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests , al-Nimr called for protestors to resist police bullets using "the roar of the word" rather than violence. The Guardian described al-Nimr as having "taken the lead in [the] uprising." On 8 July 2012 Saudi police shot al-Nimr in the leg and arrested him in what police described as an "exchange of gunfire." Saudi police fired into a crowd of thousands who protested al-Nimr's arrest, killing two men, Akbar al-Shakhouri and Mohamed al-Felfel. Al-Nimr started a hunger strike and allegedly was tortured . The Asharq Center for Human Rights expressed concern for al-Nimr's health during his hunger strike on 21 August, calling for international support to allow access by family, lawyer and human rights activists. On 15 October 2014 al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court for "seeking 'foreign meddling' in Saudi Arabia, 'disobeying' its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces." His brother, Mohammad al-Nimr, was arrested on the same day for tweeting information about the death sentence. Al-Nimr was executed on or shortly before 2 January 2016, along with 46 others. His execution was condemned by Iran and Shiites throughout the Middle East, as well as by Western figures and Sunnis opposed to sectarianism . The Saudi government said the body would not be handed over to the family. In March 2017, after a long campaign of harassment, the Saudi security forces killed two cousins of Nimr family during a raid on a farm in eastern Saudi Arabia. Miqdad and Mohammad Al-Nimr were killed at a farm in Awamiyah, the Nimr family hometown.

Shia Muslim religious figure and Saudi government critic; executed in 2016 Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr (21 June 1959 – 2 January 2016), commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr , was a Saudi Shia sheikh from Al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province . His arrest and execution were widely condemned by various governments and human rights organizations. He was popular among youth and critical of the Saudi Arabian government , advocating for free elections in Saudi Arabia . In 2006, al-Nimr was arrested by Saudi authorities, during which he claimed to have been beaten by the Mabahith , a Saudi secret police agency. In 2009, he criticized Saudi authorities and suggested that if the rights of Saudi Shia were not respected, the Eastern Province should secede . In response, Saudi authorities arrested al-Nimr along with 35 others. During the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests , al-Nimr urged protestors to resist police bullets with "the roar of the word" rather than violence. The Guardian described al-Nimr as having "taken the lead in [the] uprising." On 8 July 2012, Saudi police shot al-Nimr in the leg and arrested him in what police described as an "exchange of gunfire." During the protests against al-Nimr's arrest, police fired into a crowd of thousands, killing two men, Akbar al-Shakhouri and Mohamed al-Felfel. Following his arrest, al-Nimr began a hunger strike and was allegedly tortured . The Asharq Center for Human Rights expressed concern for his health during the hunger strike on 21 August, calling for international support to allow access for family, lawyers, and human rights activists. On 15 October 2014, al-Nimr was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court for "seeking foreign meddling in Saudi Arabia, disobeying its rulers, and taking up arms against the security forces." On the same day, his brother, Mohammad al-Nimr, was arrested for tweeting information about the death sentence. Al-Nimr was executed on or shortly before 2 January 2016, along with 46 others. His execution was condemned by Iran and Shiites throughout the Middle East, as well as by Western figures and Sunnis opposed to sectarianism . The Saudi government announced that his body would not be handed over to the family. In March 2017, after a prolonged campaign of harassment, Saudi security forces killed two cousins of the Nimr family during a raid on a farm in eastern Saudi Arabia. Miqdad and Mohammad al-Nimr were killed at a farm in Awamiyah, the Nimr family hometown. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).