Editing Witch hunt (section)

====Saudi Arabia====
Witchcraft or sorcery remains a criminal offense in [[Saudi Arabia]], although the precise nature of the crime is undefined.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Precarious Justice – Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials in the Deficient Criminal Justice System of Saudi Arabia |journal=Human Rights Watch |year=2008 |page=143 |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/62304/section/23}}</ref>

The frequency of prosecutions for this in the country as whole is unknown. However, in November&nbsp;2009, it was reported that 118&nbsp;people had been arrested in the province of Makkah that year for practicing magic and "using the Book of Allah in a derogatory manner", 74% of them being female.<ref>{{cite news |title=Distance witch finally caught; 118&nbsp;detained this year |url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009110453524&archiveissuedate=04/11/2009 |newspaper=Saudi Gazette |date=4 November 2009 |access-date=6 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110161629/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009110453524&archiveissuedate=04%2F11%2F2009 |archive-date=10 January 2012  }}</ref> According to [[Human Rights Watch]] in 2009, prosecutions for witchcraft and sorcery are proliferating and "Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police."<ref>{{cite press release |title=Saudi Arabia: Witchcraft and Sorcery Cases on the Rise |date=24 November 2009 |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/24/saudi-arabia-witchcraft-and-sorcery-cases-rise |access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>

In 2006, an illiterate Saudi woman, [[Fawza Falih]], was convicted of practising witchcraft, including casting an impotence spell, and sentenced to death by beheading, after allegedly being beaten and forced to fingerprint a false confession that had not been read to her.<ref>{{cite news |title=King Abdullah urged to spare Saudi 'witchcraft' woman's life |newspaper=The Times |date=16 February 2008 }}</ref> After an appeal court had cast doubt on the validity of the death sentence because the confession had been retracted, the lower court reaffirmed the same sentence on a different basis.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Letter to HRH King Abdullah bin Abd al-'Aziz Al Saud on "Witchcraft" Case |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=12 February 2008 |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/02/12/letter-hrh-king-abdullah-bin-abd-al-aziz-al-saud-witchcraft-case |access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>

In 2007, Mustafa Ibrahim, an Egyptian national, was executed, having been convicted of using sorcery in an attempt to separate a married couple, as well as of adultery and of desecrating the Quran.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saudi executes Egyptian for practising 'witchcraft' |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/03/2080777.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103180007/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/03/2080777.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 November 2007 |newspaper=ABC News |date=3 November 2007 |access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>

Also in 2007, Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki, a Sudanese national, was sentenced to death after being convicted of producing a spell that would lead to the reconciliation of a divorced couple.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sudanese man facing execution in Saudi Arabia over 'sorcery' charges |url=http://www.afrik-news.com/article17642.html |newspaper=Afrik News |date=15 May 2010 |access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Ali Hussain Sibat|Ali Sibat]], a Lebanese television presenter who had been arrested whilst on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, was sentenced to death for witchcraft arising out of his fortune-telling on an Arab satellite channel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanese TV host Ali Hussain Sibat faces execution in Saudi Arabia for sorcery |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/lebanese-tv-host-ali-hussain-sibat-faces-execution-in-saudi-arabia-for-sorcery-9thsq55qzxb |newspaper=The Times |date=2 April 2010 |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref> His appeal was accepted by one court, but a second in Medina upheld his death sentence again in March&nbsp;2010, stating that he deserved it as he had publicly practised sorcery in front of millions of viewers for several years.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Lebanese PM should step in to halt Saudi Arabia 'Sorcery' execution |publisher=Amnesty International |date=1 April 2010 |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18702 |access-date=6 February 2011}}</ref> In November&nbsp;2010, the Supreme Court refused to ratify the death sentence, stating that there was insufficient evidence that his actions had harmed others.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saudi court rejects death sentence for TV psychic |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/saudi-court-rejects-death-sentence-for-tv-psychic-1.574429 |publisher=CTV News |agency=Associated Press |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=6 February 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120092804/http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101113/saudi-psychic-sentenced-101113/ |archive-date=20 November 2011}}</ref>

On 12&nbsp;December 2011, Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar was beheaded in [[Al Jawf Province]] after being convicted of practicing witchcraft and sorcery.<ref name="Agence France-Presse">{{cite news |title=Saudi Arabia: Woman Is Beheaded After Being Convicted of Witchcraft |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-woman-is-beheaded-after-being-convicted-of-witchcraft.html |access-date=13 December 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 December 2011 |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref> Another very similar situation occurred to Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri and he was beheaded on 19&nbsp;June 2012 in the [[Najran Province]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18503550 |title=Saudi man executed for 'witchcraft and sorcery' |newspaper=BBC News |date=2012-06-19}}</ref>