WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton joined in criticism of Saturday's execution of 47 in Saudi Arabia, among them prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
"I don't think it was a smart decision for them to make," Clinton, the former secretary of state, said Sunday in New Hampshire.
Nimr's death was met with the torching of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran. It drew excoriation by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, who said, "The divine hand of revenge will take the Saudi politicians by the throat."
The State Department, Germany, the United Kingdom and others condemned the killings. Clinton was careful to still call Saudi Arabia a "friend."
"Even our friends who we work with on so many other areas should not be immune from our criticism and our questions about rule of law, about their treatment of minorities," Clinton said, according to Politico.
Sen. Rand Paul, R.-Ky., went further on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, calling the Saudi government a regional "arsonist," before launching an attack Clinton's foreign policy efforts. (Washington Post)