Prosecutor demands death penalty for cleric

A SAUDI Arabian prosecutor has demanded the death penalty for a Shi’ite Muslim cleric whose ­arrest last summer triggered deadly protests in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, long seen as a radical leader in the Shi’ite minority, appeared in court on Monday for the first time since his arrest in July, the Saudi Gazette reported ­yesterday.

The prosecutor, accused him of “aiding terrorists” and instigating unrest. He said he was guilty of “waging war on God”, a crime in sharia, or Islamic law, that automatically carries the death penalty, the Riyadh daily reported.

Saudi Arabia has no written legal code and judges have wide discretion to deliver verdicts based on their interpretation of sharia law without reference to precedent.

Tension is already running high over this month’s arrest of 16 Shi’ites accused of spying for South Arabia’s rival Iran, a charge Tehran denied.

Yesterday 135 Shi’ite religious and community leaders signed a statement to “reject the accusations” and called on the government to release the accused.

Police and protesters have clashed in the past two years in the Shi’ite Qatif area.