The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has deplored the Saudi Arabias execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a disturbing development, since he had not committed a crime regarded as most serious under international law.
The category of most serious crimes, for which the death penalty is still permissible, has been consistently interpreted by human rights mechanisms as being restricted to murder and other forms of intentional killing, said Zeid Raad al-Hussein in a statement on Sunday, adding that the death penalty could only be handed down with stringent respect of due process and fair trial guarantees, and full transparency throughout the process.
He also rejected those convictions, which are based on confessions secured under torture and ill-treatment, or trial proceedings that fail to meet international standards.
The application of the death penalty in these circumstances is unconscionable, he noted, questioning the legality of the executions.
He also called on Riyadh to put a moratorium on all executions, noting that the Arab kingdom executed almost one-third of the last years total executions in a single day.
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