Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr [5], who was found guilty of sedition and other charges following his involvement in the 2011 Arab Spring movement. Nimr's brother made the announcement via Twitter [6] on Oct. 24, telling Reuters that his family and lawyers were not given notice of the hearing [7]. King Salman must sign off on the death sentence and could decide to issue a royal pardon. Nimr is one of six Shi'ites that have been sentenced to beheading and public display of their bodies.
From Jurist [8], Oct. 26. Used with permission.
Note: In August Amnesty International reported that Saudi Arabia's flawed judicial system has resulted a surge of executions [9] following unfair trials.
