Bahraini forces, protesters clash ahead of shaikh Nimr execution anniversary

The demonstrators took to the streets in the village of al-Eker, south of the capital Manama, on Tuesday evening to voice their outrage at the execution of the religious figure, who was an outspoken critic of the Riyadh regime’s policies.

Violence broke out when regime forces intervened and fired stun grenades as well as tear gas canisters at the protesting crowd. Several demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails at regime forces in return.

There were no reports of casualties and arrests.

Sheikh Nimr had been arrested in 2012 in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s Shia-majority Eastern Province, which was the scene of peaceful anti-regime demonstrations at the time.

He had been charged with instigating unrest and undermining the kingdom’s security. He had rejected the charges as baseless and unfounded.

In 2014, a Saudi court sentenced the clergyman to death, provoking widespread global condemnations. Back then, the UK-based rights body Amnesty International called the sentence “appalling,” saying the verdict should be quashed since it was politically motivated.