Death Sentence for Sorcery

Saudi Arabian court rejects 'sorcery' death sentence
Amnesty International has welcomed a decision by the Saudi Arabian Supreme Court this week not to ratify the death sentence on a Lebanese man convicted of "sorcery".

The court in the capital Riyadh said that the death sentence for 'Ali Hussain Sibat was inappropriate because there was no proof that others were harmed as a result of his actions.

The court ordered that the case be retried in the original lower court in Madina with a view to considering commutation of his death sentence and deportation to Lebanon at the end of his sentence.

"The Supreme Court's decision is a welcome step and may lead to 'Ali Hussain Sibat's no longer facing the death penalty," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa programme.

"However, we continue to urge that he be immediately released as he was convicted solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression."

The "sorcery" charges against 'Ali Hussain Sibat relate to his former role as a presenter on the Lebanese satellite TV station Sheherazade, in which he gave advice and predictions about the future.

He was sentenced to death by a Madina court on 9 November 2009, following his arrest by the Mutawa'een (religious police) in May 2008 while he was visiting Saudi Arabia on a form of Muslim pilgrimage, umra.