Nimr al-Nimr
| Nimr al-Nimr | |
|---|---|
| نمر باقر النمر | |
 |
|
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Twelver Shia |
| School | Ja'fari jurisprudence |
| Education | Iran, Syria |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Saudi |
| Born |
21 June 1959 Al-Awamiyah, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 2 January 2016 (aged 56) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Sheikh, ayatollah |
| Religious career | |
| Post | Friday Prayers leader, al-Awamiyah |
| Website | www |
Nimr Baqir al-Nimr (Arabic: نمر باقر النمر, translit. Nimr Bāqir an-Nimr; 21 June 1959 – 2 January 2016; also Romanized Bakir al-Nimr,al-Nemr,al-Namr,al-Nimer, al-Nemer, al-Namer), commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr, was a Shia Sheikh in al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province whose arrest and execution created diplomatic tension between Shia and Sunni governments.
He was popular among youth and critical of the Saudi Arabian government, calling for free elections in Saudi Arabia. He was arrested by Saudi authorities in 2006, at which time al-Nimr said he was beaten by the Mabahith. In 2009, he criticised Saudi authorities and suggested that if Saudi Shia rights were not respected, the Eastern Province should secede. Saudi authorities responded by arresting al-Nimr and 35 others. During the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests, al-Nimr called for protestors to resist police bullets using "the roar of the word" rather than violence, and predicted the collapse of the government if repression continued.The Guardian described al-Nimr as having "taken the lead in [the] uprising."
On 8 July 2012 Saudi police shot al-Nimr in the leg and arrested him in what police described as an "exchange of gunfire." Saudi police fired into a crowd of thousands who protested al-Nimr's arrest, killing two men, Akbar al-Shakhouri and Mohamed al-Felfel. Al-Nimr started a hunger strike and allegedly was tortured. The Asharq Center for Human Rights expressed concern for al-Nimr's health during his hunger strike on 21 August, calling for international support to allow access by family, lawyer and human rights activists.
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