Hundreds of Saudis rallied in the east of the kingdom on Friday to support activists whose execution they fear could be imminent, including prominent cleric, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
It was the second Friday in a row that a mass gathering had been held in solidarity with Sheikh Nimr and other death row detainees.
Activists say three of them were minors at the time of their arrest after pro-democracy protests that began in 2011 in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Nimr was a driving force behind the protests that developed into a call for equality in the kingdom, where many Shiites have complained of marginalization.
Friday's prayer gathering in an open area of Qatif, on the Gulf coast, aimed "to show solidarity with Sheikh Nimr and the rest of the detainees," AFP quoted witness Hussein al-Nemr, who is no relation.
He estimated the crowd at 600 or 700 and said they carried pictures of the detained cleric.
"It was a big one," he said of the rally, which followed a similar gathering in the Eastern Province town of Awamiya last week.
Amnesty International said in late November that Sheikh Nimr and five other activists were at imminent risk of execution and were "clearly convicted in unfair trials".
The London-based human rights group said the six were among more than 50 people who could soon be put to death in a single day.
Source: AFP
| 04-12-2015 - 14:34 Last updated 04-12-2015 - 14:35 |
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