She was arrested after a man complained that his daughter started acting strangely during a trip to a shopping centre in Jeddah after they came close to the Sri Lankan. Since September, two people have been put to death for the same reason.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A Sri Lankan woman accused of casting a spell on a 13-year-old Saudi Arabian girl could be beheaded if found guilty, local Daily Okaz newspaper reported.

The case began when a Saudi man complained his daughter had started acting strangely during a trip to a shopping centre in Jeddah after they came close to the Sri Lankan. He then notified a specialised unit of the police, which acted swiftly and arrested the woman.

Police spokesman Mesfir al-Juayed confirmed the details of the woman's arrest.

Saudi Arabia has no written criminal code. Court rulings are based on judges' interpretation of Sharia, the Islamic code.

For crimes like sorcery, witchcraft or apostasy, the punishment is death by decapitation with a sword.

Conviction is also not unusual in the country. A Sudanese man was executed last September for sorcery; a Saudi woman was put death in December for the same reason.

 

• saudi
• arabia
• sri
• lanka
• death
• penalty
• beheading
• sorcery
• witchcraft
• apostasy