Protesters Rally outside Saudi Embassy, ESCWA to Condemn Nimr's Execution

A small protest was held Sunday outside the Saudi embassy in Beirut to condemn the kingdom's execution of senior Shiite dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, amid strict security measures.

Al-Jadeed television said around 20 people took part in the sit-in following invitations on social networking websites.

Muslim cleric Sheikh Suhaib Habli delivered an address at the location, noting that “Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's assassination will boost the nation's awareness.”

“The problem today is between good and evil,” he said.

The protesters then performed a prayer commemorating al-Nimr and chanted slogans against the kingdom’s ruling Saud dynasty.

They then headed to the headquarters of the U.N.'s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in downtown Beirut to join another sit-in condemning Nimr's execution.

A representative of Lebanon's Higher Islamic Shiite Council took part in the sit-in outside ESCWA, according to state-run National News Agency.

Speeches deploring the execution were delivered at the location, NNA said.

Nimr, 56, was a force behind anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia in 2011 in the east of the country.

He was executed along with 46 other men -- Shiite activists and Sunnis who the Saudi interior ministry said were involved in al-Qaida killings. Some were beheaded and others were shot by firing squad.

Protesters have taken to the streets in several countries in the region and the world to condemn the cleric's execution.

On Saturday, protests turned violent in Iran, the kingdom's regional arch-rival, escalating into fierce attacks on the Sunni kingdom's embassy and consulate.

In Tehran protesters threw petrol bombs and stormed the embassy. The kingdom's consulate in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city in the country's northeast, was also set on fire.

Y.R.