Saudi cleric Salman al-Awda who called for reform could be sentenced to death

LONDON — A popular imprisoned Saudi cleric who called for reform in the Gulf kingdom could be sentenced to death this weekend, activists warned Friday. Salman al-Awda, who said the country's rulers should be more responsive to the population's desires, is due to stand trial in the country’s anti-terror court Sunday, according to the rights group Amnesty International. The public prosecutor has called for him to be sentenced to death. "We are gravely concerned that Sheikh Salman al-Awda could be sentenced to death and executed," Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East research director, said in a statement. Saudi officials were not immediately available for comment. Swept up in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's crackdown on perceived critics and those calling for political reform, al-Awda could now pay the ultimate price for speaking out against the regime. "They are making an example of him for standing up to the system politically," Michael Stephens, a research fellow for the Middle East at London's RUSI think tank said, although he cautioned that the sentence had yet to be passed. The outspoken Islamist cleric has been a thorn in the side of the ruling family for decades. In the 1990s, he criticized Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow the U.S. military into the country, was embraced by al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and was imprisoned for opposing the government. Al-Awda publicly and emphatically rejected bin Laden and al Qaeda, and has become one of the kingdom’s most popular clerics with millions of followers on Twitter. Then came the pro-democracy Arab uprisings of 2011 and al-Awda began advocating for greater democracy and social tolerance in the kingdom, according to Human Rights Watch. Related NEWS U.N. report finds 'credible evidence' Saudi prince could be liable for Khashoggi killing Last year, the office for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights described al-Awda as “an influential religious figure who has urged greater respect for human rights within Sharia," referring to Islamic law. “He was always very critical of how the regime plays up its Islamic credentials but they don’t live what they preach,” said Carool Kersten, an associate professor in the study of Islam and the Muslim world at King’s College London. “His solution is another variant of an Islamic political system with a form of Sharia." Al-Awda was sympathetic to the demands on the street and with a large following on social media, he became a real concern for the regime, Kersten added.