By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia is a Sunni ran state, where ten-to-fifteen percent of its Shia population are systematically discriminated against by receiving unequal treatment with regards to justice and religious freedom, and from a lack of access to public employment and education. Shia cleric Ayatollah Nimr al-Nimr sought to put an end to this unfair treatment with his words and has been met with violence, imprisonment, and the possibility of crucifixion.

Al-Nimr was shot in the leg four times while he was being detained by Saudi authorities. Three of the bullets have been removed from the shattered bone of his leg, but one still remains. Al-Nimr has not received regular medical care or physical therapy regarding his leg injury while being held at the Security Forces Prison Hospital. Additionally, requests for a second opinion on his health have been denied.

The official stance from the Saudi authorities has been that al-Nimr resisted arrest by ramming a security forces’ vehicle and inciting a shoot-off. Al-Nimr was not known by his family to own a gun, and has consistently preached throughout time his disdain for guns and a need for “the weapon of the word.”

Once apprehended, al-Nimr remained detained for eight months before being charged with anything. The Rasid news of Saudi Arabia has reported that al-Nimr will face charges of “inciting to infringe on property of the state,” “interference in the affairs of a sister nation,” and “incitement to commit terrorism crimes [in the sister nation],” presumably referring to statements he made criticizing Bahrain. The trial court is also considering charges of “instigating riots,” “heightening sectarian strife,” “destabilizing the security of the state and calling on sons of the country to participate,” and “storing materials on the internet that harm public order and religious values.”

It has only been recently that the courts have allowed al-Nimr’s lawyer and brother to attend his trials. As of today, the court is still refusing to assess whether al-Nimr’s ten month continued detention has been appropriate. Al-Nimr has been held in a four-by-four meter windowless solitary isolation cell. Four the first four months of his detention he was denied any visitation, however, now he has been allowed an hour visit by immediate family once every two weeks.

The prosecutors are looking to throw the whole book at al-Nimr, and a heavy book at that. The sentence they are seeking for al-Nimr is that of crucifixion. The treatment of al-Nimr has led to Shia protests, which has in turn led to the shooting of protesters by security forces.

Don’t be startled if the hanging of al-Nimr’s body from a pole leads to more demonstrations and subsequent killings of demonstrators to “maintain order.”

For further information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Saudi Arabia: Cleric who Backed Protests on Trial for his Life – 11 May 2013

Al-Monitor – Saudi Arabia Clamps Down on Dissent – 3 May 2013

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Saudi Shia Cleric Ayatollah Nimr Appears Before a Saudi Judge – 1 May 2013

Al Jazeera – Cleric Faces Possible Crucifixion in Saudi Arabia – 30 April 2013