Saudi Arabia sentences Lebanese man to death for witchcraft

SAUDI Arabia has imposed the death sentence on a Lebanese psychic who visited the country on a pilgrimage.

Ali Sabat, 46, made predictions from his studio in Beirut that were broadcast across the Middle East.

But when he headed for the holy city of Mecca as part of the Muslim Hajj in May 2008 he was arrested and charged with “practising witchcraft”.

His lawyer, May al-Khansa, said: “He was told if he confessed to witchcraft he would be released and allowed to return to Lebanon.”

Human Rights Watch called on the Saudi government to overturn its decision and halt “its increasing use of charges of witchcraft – crimes that are vaguely defined and arbitrarily used.”

The country still has no penal code allowing judges to deem certain acts as criminal according to their whim, and exact any punishment they see fit.