(Reuters) - A Saudi judge sentenced to death a prominent cleric on Wednesday who has called for greater rights for the kingdom's Shi'ites, the cleric's brother said, two years after his arrest prompted deadly protests in the oil-producing east of the country.
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was detained in July 2012 after demonstrations that erupted in February 2011 in Qatif district, home to many of the Sunni-ruled country's Shi'ite minority.
His brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, reported Wednesday's sentencing on his Twitter account.
The sentence could raise tensions in Qatif, the focal point of anti-government protests demanding an end to discrimination. The frequency of the protests had died down over the past year.
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Saudi Arabia sentences outspoken Shi ite cleric to death-brother Reuters
