Brother of executed Saudi cleric says Nimr is 'martyr against injustice'
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mohammed al-Nimr, the brother of the Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed by Saudi Arabia, speaks about his family’s reaction, responses inside and outside Saudi Arabia and the fate of his brother’s body.
![SAUDI-IRAN/GREECE Shi'ite Muslims living in Greece hold pictures of Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and shout slogans during a demonstration against his execution in Saudi Arabia, outside the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Athens, Greece, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis - RTX219TK](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2016/01/RTX219TK.jpg/RTX219TK.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=b7dJNoGe)
With tensions growing between Riyadh and Tehran following the Jan. 2 execution of the dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, Al-Monitor conducted a phone interview on Jan. 5 with Nimr’s brother, Sheikh Mohammed al-Nimr, who resides in the town of al-Awamiya, in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia. Nimr spoke of the current situation in predominantly Shiite Qatif, the still unfolding crisis stemming from his brother's death, as well as accusations leveled against the late sheikh and his supporters and efforts to obtain his brother's remains.
Al-Monitor: How did your family learn of your brother’s execution?