The execution of a personality such as Sheikh Nimr who had no means other than speech to pursue his political and religious objectives only shows the depth of imprudence and irresponsibility, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said Saturday.
The Saudi government supports terrorists and Takfiri extremists, while talking toits critics at home with the language of execution and suppression, he said.
Sheikh Nimrs execution comes while Takfiri terrorists and extremistshave taken away peace and security from regional nations and the world and arethreatening theexistence of some governments in the region, said the Iranian official.
The responsibility for the consequences of this irresponsible and inefficient move lies with the rulers in Riyadh, said Jaberi Ansari, adding that the monarchy would pay a heavy price for such policies.
On Saturday, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that Sheikh Nimr along with 47 others, who were convicted of being involved terrorism and adopting a Takfiri ideology, had been put to death.
A file picture taken in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on October 18, 2014, shows a protester condemning the death sentence for Saudi Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr (portrait). AFP
The Shia figures execution has drawn angry reactions worldwide. Widespread protest rallies are expected to be held around the word to condemn Riyadh, which is already beefing up security in the Shia-dominated Qatif region of Eastern Province, according to reports.
Sheikh Nimr, a critic of the Riyadh regime, was shot by Saudi police and arrested in 2012 in the Qatif region of Shia-dominated Eastern Province, which was the scene of peaceful anti-regime demonstrations at the time.
He was charged with instigating unrest and undermining the kingdoms security, making anti-government speeches and defending political prisoners. He had rejected all the charges as baseless.
In 2014, a Saudi court sentenced Sheikh Nimr to death, provoking widespread global condemnations. The sentence was upheld last March by the appeal court of Saudi Arabia.
The new announcement comes a day after a tally by The Associated Press, which was based on reports by Amnesty International, showed Saudi Arabia had carried out 157 executions in 2015, most of which were beheading by sword. This is a record of the most capital punishments conducted in a single year since 1995.
The Saudi kingdom has long been under fire at the international level for its grim human rights record.
By Press TV
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