Turkey's Erdogan says Saudi executions 'internal legal matter'

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday refused to condemn Saudi Arabia for its execution of 47 convicts including a prominent Shia cleric, saying it was an "internal legal matter" of the kingdom.

“The executions in Saudi Arabia are an internal legal matter. Whether you approve or not of the decision is a separate issue,” Erdogan, who last month visited Riyadh in a new sign of Ankara's warm ties with the kingdom, said in a televised speech in his first reaction to the controversy.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 47 people, most of whom were convicted of Al Qaeda attacks. Four of those executed were Shias, including prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guards had promised "harsh revenge" against the Saudi royal dynasty for Saturday's execution of Nimr who is considered a terrorist by Riyadh but hailed in Iran as a champion of the rights of Saudi Arabia's Shia minority.

The Guards compared Saudi Arabia's execution of Nimr to attacks carried out by the militant Islamic State group and said that Saudi Arabia's “medieval act of savagery” in putting Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr to death will lead to the “downfall” of the monarchy.

Protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran the other day and Iran’s top leader predicted “divine vengeance” for Saudi Arabia’s execution of the cleric

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khan

Jan 06, 2016 06:38pm

I agree with you Sir

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Kamran

Jan 06, 2016 06:42pm

Iran could have protested on Saudi's execution but you can not allow mob to attack consulate.

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Muhammad

Jan 06, 2016 06:44pm

Mr. erdogan then why you are opposing Bashar Ul Asad it is Syria's internal matter whether you like it or not he should remain in power or not it is Syria's internal matter then why you are interfering in the internal matters of Syria ? hypocrisy at its height !

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mano

Jan 06, 2016 06:46pm

He is absolutely right, there were 47 people execute, all Saudis, 43 Sunni, 4 Shia, all involved in terrorism or plotting against the Saudis. It's there internal matter and lets just leave it at that.

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Canada

Jan 06, 2016 07:00pm

@Muhammad Very good point. Not to mention he also sent troops into Iraq, two weeks ago. Even after Iraqs protests and threats to go to UN he hesitated.

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Concerned

Jan 06, 2016 07:18pm

@ Muhammad: I think Saudi executed 47 criminals as per there law irrespective of what they are. Whereas, Bashar is killing every one and he is doing crime so he should be criticized. So you cant say killings of innocent and killings of criminal is same.

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Muslim

Jan 06, 2016 07:19pm

I have following Mr. Erdogan for many years he seems to inspired by the Ale Saud policies he is slowly turning secular Turkey into a ultra conservative country like Ale Saud he is interfering in the internal affairs of Syria but also like Ale Saud he did not like anybody interfere in his distorted policies he is killing his own Kurd population like Ale Saud is suppressing any voice of dissident in Saudi Arabia

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Muzaffar Ali

Jan 06, 2016 07:23pm

Few days ago Mr Erdogan said it was a political killing...today he changes his tune....he says it is a legal matter He wants to cover his base with both sides.

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Cyrus

Jan 06, 2016 07:26pm

@Muhammad .... Why don't you ask him. Write him a letter. Maybe he will give you the answer.

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Fahim Khan

Jan 06, 2016 07:26pm

Human Rights violations are not internal matters of any country.... Mr. ISIS supporter

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Jayakumar

Jan 06, 2016 07:28pm

@Muhammad Well said.What a worthy argument .

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Jan 06, 2016 07:31pm

Erdogan is Turkey's general Zia and is playing with a sectarian fire lit by Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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Muzaffar Ali

Jan 06, 2016 07:32pm

Lets talk construction not destruction. "Instead of fixing the problem we are fixing the blame"

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Saeed Masood

Jan 06, 2016 07:33pm

Mr. Erdogan is right..this is Saudi law and their internal law matter...look at us we do nothing when girls are gang raped in Pakistan and it takes months after months to convict and then never punished, We need to correct ourselves rather pointing fingers...

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Muzaffar Ali

Jan 06, 2016 07:40pm

@Muhammad Agreed with your profound comment.... You wrote "Mr. erdogan then why you are opposing Bashar Ul Asad it is Syria's internal matter whether you like it or not he should remain in power or not it is Syria's internal matter then why you are interfering in the internal matters of Syria ? hypocrisy at its height !"

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Sami

Jan 06, 2016 07:51pm

Erdogan, you really have no room to talk. Your have been actively supporting the overthrow of Assad. You have been preventing Turkish Kurds from helping their brothers and sisters being slaughtered in Syria and Iraq. You have been allowing ISIS fighters to freely travel thorough Turkey. You have been buying ISIS oil. You have military inside Iraq despite protests from Iraq. You recently cited the structure of Hitler's government as a possible blueprint for the structure of presidency in Turkey. I guess we should not have expected from you pragmatic leadership aimed at easing tensions and starting a process of reconciliation between fueding brothers. You just had to step in and take sides... Very mature indeed!

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Kabeer

Jan 06, 2016 07:52pm

@Saeed Masood You gave a totally wrong justification for killing of such a high ranking pious cleric who has nothing to do with any terrorist activity he was merely raising voice for oppressed people in Saudi Arabia, which is not a crime by any standards

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sbk

Jan 06, 2016 08:00pm

It is natural that Saudi will support Turkey and Turkey will support Saudi. But, that does not absolve Saudi. Wrong is always wrong.

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sbk

Jan 06, 2016 08:01pm

@Muhammad , Yes, Turkey and Saudi are partners in Syria.

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sbk

Jan 06, 2016 08:04pm

@Muslim , You are right. Turkey is hunting down its own Kurds population, confident that no one will dare to question it..

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Torontonian

Jan 06, 2016 08:09pm

@Concerned The execution of Sheikh Nimr is not the same as of criminals. His crime was asking for more rights for minorities. If you think he committed a crime as per KSA laws and should be punished and its their internal problem so the same could be said for Asad (I don't agree with his actions though), anyone protesting his government broke the law and needs to be punished. His law could be mass killing. So why interfere in their internal matters. You can't use one logic for one country and a different one for the other.

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Osman

Jan 06, 2016 08:11pm

Fine, "executions by Saudi Arabia are an internal legal matter." Is the execution of Syrians by Assad also an internal legal matter by that logic?

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Simple

Jan 06, 2016 08:14pm

Rightly said by Turkey President

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Khanra

Jan 06, 2016 08:20pm

Except that the Saudis are trying to form an anti-Shia military coalition. So their "internal" issues are on full display to all countries that the Saudis are trying to entice.

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Ali

Jan 06, 2016 08:20pm

Turkish President Erdogan stating that "executions in Saudi Arabia are internal legal matter" is correct. All 47 were Saudi citizens, 43 were Sunnis and 4 were Shias, so Iran's violent reaction of attacking and destroying Saudi diplomatic offices was unacceptable in a civilized country like Iran. This was Saudi internal matter, just as several hundred executions in Pakistan was our internal matter. Iran executed more than 2000 people last year which was their internal matter. Terrorism is killing Muslims and destroying Muslim countries, so Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and all other Muslim countries should join hands to fight this curse against Islam, and not be swayed by misplaced arrogance and politics.

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Mustafa R.

Jan 06, 2016 08:24pm

@Concerned ; ' So you cant say killings of innocent and killings of criminal is same.' But who has the right to determine the guilt?

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Mehtab

Jan 06, 2016 08:43pm

Erdogan is ok with interferring Syria. And other weak governments. Rule of jungle going on.

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Mehtab

Jan 06, 2016 08:45pm

@Kamran Do you think a building is more important than a killing of an innocent revered scholar.

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Farhan

Jan 06, 2016 08:47pm

Law and internal matters in dictoterial regimes should not be defended. Ask the same question to Saudi when they release a Westerner or American? The same courtsy never extended to Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indonesians?

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Sachin

Jan 06, 2016 08:47pm

Isn't Syria internal matter as well ? Why double standards ? Lost credibility.

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hussein

Jan 06, 2016 08:59pm

Erdogan do u approve or disapprove.....

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zee

Jan 06, 2016 09:05pm

Iran criticises Saudi Arabia so harshly as if Iran itself is a champion of human rights ..iran's record of human rights is worst than saudi arabia as it hangs more people than Saudi Arabia and suppresses its sunni minority.

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Hassan

Jan 06, 2016 09:08pm

Saudis are totally allowed to strike against Houthis rebels in Yemen & Turkey is allowed to fight against ISIS in Syria, but yes, it is totally forbidden to talk against an execution in Saudia because that is against the sovereignty of Saudis. What a hypocrisy !!!

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saber

Jan 06, 2016 09:15pm

Syrian and Iraqi oil smuggled under the nose of Turkish a. Mr Erdogan , do you have any respect for neighbor national asset. Or just keeping Saudis happy.

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Shahid

Jan 06, 2016 09:20pm

Of course it is Saudi Arabia's internal matter just like when Bangladesh executed JI leaders, and we were hurt but we accepted it as their internal matter and did not burn Bangladesh' embassy.

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Khan

Jan 06, 2016 09:20pm

Who is Iran to meddle in some other country internal affairs? And seems like Iranis have a habit of ransacking and destroying foreign consulates They are More extreme than the Saudi if you ask me

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Guest66

Jan 06, 2016 09:22pm

A very wise , quite appropriate and down right remark .

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Shamshad A. Quraishi

Jan 06, 2016 09:23pm

Turkey has taken the right attitude.

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Sonny Afridi

Jan 06, 2016 09:24pm

I agree just like Kurdish problem is Turkiye internal problem and how Syria is Syrian people's internal problem

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Extended Hope

Jan 06, 2016 09:43pm

Forgive and forget.

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Karim

Jan 06, 2016 09:44pm

Erdogan should learn how to speak, if executing dissidents is an internal matter, how involving in Yemen, Syria, Iraq is an internal matter.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Jan 06, 2016 09:51pm

An excellent, mature, educated and intelligent statement by the Turkish leader. Maybe, the movers and shakers in the Islmaic Republic of Iran could learn some lesson from it.

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iftikhar

Jan 06, 2016 10:06pm

yes Mr. president it KSA's internal matter lie Asad's rule in Syria is Syria's internal matter. and training and supporting anti asad regime is definetely interference in syria's affairs.

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Amir Shahzad

Jan 06, 2016 10:14pm

I do not like any sort of rift between Muslim countries. Plz sort out the matter by dialogue.

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Dabangg

Jan 06, 2016 10:23pm

Typical. If it doesn't affect you it is an 'internal matter', if it does it 'anti humanitarian'. You can't have it both ways.

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Baaligh

Jan 06, 2016 10:26pm

Erdogan is begging Israel to have friendly relations with Turkey. This says it all about Erdogan and so his support to Saudis is no surprise as Saudis are not different as compared to Israel when it comes to committing grave acts of atrocities as seen in Yemen.

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Haider

Jan 06, 2016 10:34pm

Thats true. Totally agree with Erdogan.

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AXH

Jan 06, 2016 11:01pm

@Muhammad - Excellent point. It is like selective amnesia.

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coments

Jan 06, 2016 11:28pm

@Concerned I agree with you.

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Reza

Jan 06, 2016 11:32pm

@Baaligh well said.

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Ali Jamal

Jan 06, 2016 11:33pm

So was Assad dealing with civil disobedience within Syria... How is that different... What hypocrisy!

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Naveed

Jan 06, 2016 11:34pm

You don't execute Ulema nor do you burn diplomatic enclaves we can expect the same from others. Had they exiled him it would have better, none of the mess would have happened. I think ruling elites on both sides have lost their sanity.

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Skeptic

Jan 06, 2016 11:37pm

It may be Saudi internal matter. But the timing of the executions was highly provocative. Iranian patience has been tested by the Saudis time and again. From 1979 massacre of Iranian pilgrims in Mecca riots, to 2011 Bahrain uprising and thousands of deaths of Shiat population, and bombing raids in Yemen against Hutis, to stampede during Hajj last year, in which hundreds of Iranian pilgrims were killed and their bodies unceremoniously buried in mass graves, was bound to cause a reaction. In this dispute, I have sympathies for the Shiat community, and completely understand the Iranian reaction. Saudis have a lot of blood on their hands. I also believe the timing of executions of convicted spiritual leader was designed to derail any Iranian participation in Syrian peace talks currently underway.

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Munz

Jan 06, 2016 11:40pm

Very logical...

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Naveed

Jan 06, 2016 11:45pm

Syria and Iraq become a mess that no one has the ability to cleanup, the toll is on ordinary civilians who have little or no say in the matter as opposing forces battle each other and cause mass scale misery for the whole region.

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TAF

Jan 06, 2016 11:49pm

Nimr was not a terrorist ..he just oppose the king...that was his sin.

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Ghaznavi

Jan 07, 2016 12:02am

rightly said! you cannot implant trouble makers and then advocate for them

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ali

Jan 07, 2016 12:16am

@Ghaznavi -FYG Nimri was Saudi Citizen and speaking about unfair treatment of minorities.

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Observer1

Jan 07, 2016 01:30am

@Muhammad you are 100% right. Hypocrisy is the big problem here.

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Observer1

Jan 07, 2016 01:32am

@mano if we take your advise and leave it as internal matter of Saudi , then why Saudi has the right to interfere in Yemen , Behrain and Syria? Do you have any answer for that?

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Observer1

Jan 07, 2016 01:34am

@Concerned Al-Nimr was no criminal , he just asked for the minority right and freedom which is part of our islamic society. Saudi has no right to interfere in Yemen , Syria and Bahrain and do killing of innocent people.

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Imran

Jan 07, 2016 01:53am

Turkey cannot go against Saudis. They both have stake in Syria. Saudis may want to portray this as Shia -Sunny problem. We in Pakistan should avoid taking any sides. We already have many issues in our plate.

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TZaman

Jan 07, 2016 01:56am

Another hypocrite. How come then Turkey protested Bangladesh's execution in November? Because BD is poor? Not having Oil wealth? Now Saudi execution are internal matters. Strange.

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Philosopher (from Japan)

Jan 07, 2016 02:04am

Absolutely wise statement. You are winning heart with every passing day. Hats off.

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Ghaznavi

Jan 07, 2016 03:11am

@ali "FYG Nimri was Saudi Citizen and speaking about unfair treatment of minorities." Saudi Citizen who received religious education from Iran. Being a Saudi citizen makes this an internal affair of that country. The need of this hour is for us to think as Pakistanis first and stay out of this ancient Arab-Iranian rift.

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Pakistani

Jan 07, 2016 03:18am

Agree, but then why he is involved in internal issues of Syria and Iraq?

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wafa

Jan 07, 2016 03:24am

@khan If you agree with your sir, then aslo tell him to lay off Syria. It is Syria's internal problem

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rama

Jan 07, 2016 06:09am

@mano Making comments without understanding the issue ???

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rama

Jan 07, 2016 06:12am

@Simple Rightly said by the wrong person who has has not moral rights

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saz

Jan 07, 2016 07:02am

Those so called Muslims and states who are emerging with such notion that execution of Shaikh Nimr and other innocent people by Saudi Govt is Saudia's internal matter they are deliberately making a biased and discriminated statement. Their hypocrisy is beyond our imagination.

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Ahmed Haneef

Jan 07, 2016 08:54am

Two days ago Turkey foreign office say Sheikh Nimr execution was politically motivated now Erdagon is saying it is an internal matter due to external pressures. Soon Erdagon will say all Israeli execution of palestinian and Arabs in Israel an Israeli internal matter, as Mr. Erdogon is begging for relationship with Israel (said Israel is our need) By the way all most of the regional Muslim leaders have already secretly recognised Israel waiting for time to say it openly.

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Muhammad

Jan 07, 2016 10:24am

@Ghaznavi "Saudi Citizen who received religious education from Iran" I do not understand the justification you have given in your post thousands of Pakistanis go to Jama Al Azhar in Egypt and Madina University in Saudi Arab for religious studies this not make them criminal it is not a crime at all ! secondly demanding peacefully for equal rights is trouble making ? I do not at all understand your logic what you want to say

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fas

Jan 07, 2016 11:15am

most of us hypocrite & biased and don't dare to say wrong things wrong and right things right. Always prioritize self interests irrespect to moral, ethical & religion

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zahid

Jan 07, 2016 01:04pm

another dangerous leader of muslims, god save us !

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Ahmed Haneef

Jan 07, 2016 02:52pm

@Muzaffar Ali .... Why Erdagon is involved in Syrian issue, because Bashar Al Asad is not liked by US and Israel. Unfortunately all our GCC, Turkey and Egypt are going against those muslims group and countries resisting Israeli occupation.

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Shani

Jan 07, 2016 04:00pm

I agree that it is the internal matter of Saudi Arabia because the person was Saudi national.One state must not involve in other states internal affairs.If some injustice is done in any person execution then the issue must be raised by international human rights organizations.

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Ahmed Haneef

Jan 07, 2016 05:47pm

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