The Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA) has called on the Saudi monarch to prevent the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and release the cleric.
UMAA is extremely disturbed by the recent execution sentence imposed on Sheikh Baqir Al-Nimr for charges such as "sowing discord" and "undermining national unity", it said in a statement.
"We are particularly concerned because Nimr al-Nimr did not receive a fair trial. On multiple occasions, the judge did not allow al-Nimr to properly prepare his defense. Al-Nimr was denied the right to cross-examine the witnesses against him. Additionally, all confessions were obtained under duress through coercive means. Moreover, throughout the trial, the court did not observe the basic rules of due process and fairness, therefore rendering the conviction is gravely unsound and unreliable."
UMAA urged the Saudi king to pardon Nimr al-Nimr without delay and to ensure that he is released from prison.
"Further, UMAA is holding a National Conference on Wednesday, October 22 to discuss the situation of Sheikh Al-Nimr and political advocacy strategies," the statement went on to say.
Sheikh Nimr was sentenced to death last week by the Specialized Criminal Court in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. In reaction to the sentence, people took to streets in the city of Qatif in Eastern Province to condemn the move.
Amnesty International has called the death sentence "appalling," saying the verdict should be quashed.
Nimr was given the death sentence on charges of disturbing the kingdom's security and making anti-government speeches.
He is the Imam of al-Awamiyya Mosque in Qatif and has spent most of his two-year detention in solitary confinement at the al-Ha'ir prison in Riyadh, according to Amnesty International.
source : www.iqna.ir
