DHAKA: A war of words has broken out between Iran and Saudi Arabia after Riyadh announced that Shia religious figure Nimr al-Nimr was among 47 men it had executed on terrorism charges.

The Saudi interior ministry announced the executions on Saturday, listing the names of the 47 killed, all of whom had been convicted on charges of terrorism.

The government said those convicted had plotted or participated in attacks against residential compounds and government buildings.

Nimr, who led anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia’s east, was previously convicted of sedition, disobedience and bearing arms.

Nimr did not deny the political charges against him, but said he never carried weapons or called for violence.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia faced ‘divine revenge’ over Nimr’s execution, saying the religious leader ‘neither invited people to take up arms nor hatched covert plots. The only thing he did was public criticism’.

The Iranian foreign ministry had earlier condemned Nimr’s execution, calling it ‘the depth of imprudence and irresponsibility’ on the part of the Saudi government.

‘The Saudi government will pay a heavy price for adopting such policies,’ said Hossein Jaber Ansari, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman.

In response, Saudi Arabia summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against the Tehran’s reaction to the execution.

The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that by condemning the execution, Iran had ‘revealed its true face represented in support for terrorism’.

The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, accused Tehran of ‘blind sectarianism’ and said that ‘by its defense of terrorist acts’ Iran is a ‘partner in their crimes in the entire region’.

Saudi Arabian Ministry of Justice spokesman Mansour al-Qufari defended the executions.

‘The judiciary is objective and we deal objectively with the cases on merit,’ Qufari said.

BDST: 2202 HRS, JAN 03, 2016
RR