Al-Nimr's brother blames Barack Obama for cleric's death

Baku. 7 January. REPORT.AZ/ Mohammed Al-Nimr said he asked US officials to urge Barack Obama to speak out publicly against the planned execution of his brother - but the US 'limited themselves to general statements from the State Department'.

Report informs, in his interview to Turkish Haberturk channel he said: 'I am sorry to say that the American government did not offer to make any efforts on this, although they knew the danger of this action and the repercussions.

'We asked very clearly for the American president to intervene as a friend of Saudi Arabia - and the Americans did not intervene.'

He said he urged the US consulate in Dharan, Saudi Arabia to ask Obama to speak out against the death sentence but that the US 'limited themselves to general statements from the State Department'.

Businessman Mohammed al-Nimr, who was speaking from eastern Saudi Arabia, is himself a Shiite political dissident and that his son Ali al-Nimr, is also facing a death sentence in the country.