RIYADH // A Saudi judge sentenced to death a prominent Shiite cleric on Wednesday for sedition, his family said.
Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr was detained in July 2012 following demonstrations that erupted in February 2011 in the east of the country.
The cleric was also convicted of seeking “foreign meddling” in the country, a reference to Iran, his brother Mohammed Al Nimr wrote on Twitter.
He was found guilty of “disobeying” the kingdom’s rulers and taking up arms against security forces, his brother said.
The sentence could raise tensions in Qatif, which has been the focal point of anti-government demonstrations, but where the frequency of protests has died down over the past year.
His arrest, during which he was shot and wounded by police, prompted several days of protests in which three people were killed. Protests continued sporadically in Qatif, where more than 20 people died in violence, until 2013.
Al Nimr has become the most prominent cleric calling for more rights for the Shiite minority and is accused by the government of helping to instigate the unrest which broke out in Qatif during the regional uprisings in 2011.
Al Nimr’s family accused the court of ignoring the his “peaceful and non violent approach,” saying the case had caused “social and political discontent”.
Al Nimr, who is in his 50s, had been on trial since March 2013. Last year a prosecutor said he was seeking to convict Al Nimr for “aiding terrorists”.
“I think the government is giving a show of strength against anyone who thinks of opposition,” said Tawfiq Al Seif, a community leader in Qatif.
Earlier this year two other Shiite men involved in the protests were sentenced to death, including Ali Al Nimr, the son of Mohammed Al Nimr, who was a minor at the time of the demonstrations.
The sentences have yet to be carried out.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Pathaan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Siddharth%20Anand%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20John%20Abraham%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially