Police in Bahrain used tear gas on Saturday to disperse protesters demonstrating over Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shia cleric, witnesses said.

Protesters shouted slogans and clashed with police, but no casualties were reported.

Small demonstrations were reported in Shia-majority villages Jidhafs and Malikiya west and south of the capital.

There were calls for more demonstrations in the evening.

Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force of the protests that broke out in Saudi Arabia's east in 2011, was among 47 people executed in the kingdom on Saturday.

Bahrain, which has itself faced unrest from its Shia majority population, has backed Riyadh over the executions.

Authorities said that they would take "all necessary legal measures" against any "negative" actions in response to the death sentences, which they would consider as "inciting sedition and threatening civil order".

They also warned of legal measures against anyone who used "social media networks to spread rumours that influence security".

 

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