United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday he was "deeply dismayed" by the execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric and 46 other people in Saudi Arabia and called for calm and restraint. 


"Sheik al-Nimr and a number of the other prisoners executed had been convicted following trials that raised serious concerns over the nature of the charges and the fairness of the process," Ban’s spokesman said in a statement. 


"The Secretary-General also calls for calm and restraint in reaction to the execution of Sheikh Nimr and urges all regional leaders to work to avoid the exacerbation of sectarian tensions," the spokesman said

Source: NNA