In a statement on Sunday, Secretary General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali Akbar Velayati branded the execution of the prominent cleric as an “un-Islamic, inhumane, medieval and despotic measure.”
Paying tribute to Sheikh Nimr as a popular figure, Velayati said the late cleric was only after restoring the rights of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and opposing tyranny and injustice.
Such a barbaric crime by the Al Saud could not strengthen the “dictatorial and reactionary regime” in Riyadh, but will actually accelerate the fall of the kingdom, the statement added.
The execution of Sheikh Nimr has ignited widespread international condemnation, from both political and religious figures.
Earlier on Sunday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei labeled Saudi Arabia’s execution of Sheikh Nimr as a “political mistake”, stressing that “divine vengeance” is awaiting the Al Saud regime.