The Hezbollah Movement in Iraq has warned Saudi Arabia against executing Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was sentenced to death in the oil-rich kingdom four days ago for “instigating sedition.”

Nimr was arrested in July 2012, as Shiite protests in the eastern Qatif region raged in 2011 and 2012 as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings.

According to local media, Abbas Muhammadavi, Secretary General of Hezbollah Movement in Iraq, said on Saturday: “Anything that belongs to Saudi Arabia in Iraq will not be safe in the case of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr being executed.

“They can be sure that they will suffer the consequences.”

The Saudi authorities have also accused Nimr of resisting arrest, saying that he and his colleagues opened fire on troops while attempting to elude capture.

Nimr's lawyer, Sadeq al-Jabran, said on Twitter the court had rejected the prosecution's request to apply traditional “Hadd al-Haraba” punishment, which entails publicly displaying the convict's body following his execution.

The Saudi authorities have yet to comment on the ruling.

Shiites, estimated to comprise about 10 percent of Saudi Arabia's population of 30 million, have long accused the authorities of marginalizing and discriminating against them in terms of government and army appointments.

AA