Stern message from Saudi Arabia
Rights activist and security analysts debate implications of execution of 47 people on terrorism charges in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has executed 47 people on terrorism charges in a day, prompting condemnations by human rights groups and its regional rival, Iran. Those executed include Fares al-Shuwail, al-Qaeda’s “top religious leader” in the kindgom, and Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia religious figure.
Iran says Saudi Arabia will pay a high price for the execution of Nimr.
What message is the kingdom sending? And will an iron fist succeed?
Presenter: Sami Zeidan
Guests:
Ahmed al-Ibrahim, Saudi affairs specialist and security analyst.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch.
Joseph Kechichian, Senior Fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research & Islamic Studies in Saudi Arabia.