The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has deplored the Saudi Arabia�s execution of prominent Shia cleric�Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a �disturbing development�, since he had not committed a crime regarded �as most serious� under international law.

�The category of �most serious crimes,� for which the death penalty is still permissible, has been consistently interpreted by human rights mechanisms as being restricted to murder and other forms of intentional killing,� said Zeid Ra�ad al-Hussein in a statement on Sunday, adding that the death penalty could only be handed down with�stringent respect of due process and fair trial guarantees, and full transparency throughout the process.

He also rejected those convictions, which are based on confessions secured under torture and ill-treatment, or trial proceedings that fail to meet international standards.

�The application of the death penalty in these circumstances is unconscionable,� he noted, questioning the legality of the executions.

He also called on Riyadh to put a moratorium on all executions, noting that the Arab kingdom executed almost one-third of the last year�s total executions in a single day.

Sheikh Nimr, a critic of Riyadh, was arrested in 2012 in the Qatif region of Shia-dominated Eastern Province, which was the scene of peaceful anti-government demonstrations at the time.

He was charged with instigating unrest and undermining the kingdom�s security, making anti-government speeches and defending political prisoners and a Saudi court sentenced him to death�in 2014. He had rejected all the charges as baseless.

On Saturday, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that Sheikh Nimr�had been put to death along with�46 others�convicted of being involved in �terrorism.�

Execution of the Shia cleric�has drawn condemnation from governments and human rights groups all across the world.

By Press TV