Fawza Falih

Fawza Falih Muhammad Ali is a Saudi woman who made international headlines after she was condemned to death for practicing witchcraft in 2006.

In a letter dated February 13, 2008, Christoph Wilcke, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, exhorted King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to halt her execution. The letter states she was sentenced to death by beheading for the crimes of witchcraft, recourse to jinn, and animal slaughter. Human Rights Watch argued that Falih should not be executed because the crime of witchcraft is not defined by Saudi law, the judges failed to ensure a fair trial, and Falih was unable to defend herself because of "significant procedural flaws throughout the trial".

The woman, who is illiterate, was detained by the religious police in 2005 and allegedly she was beaten and forced to sign by fingerprinting a confession she was not able to read.

References

* [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/02/13/saudia18046_txt.htm Letter to HRH King Abdullah bin Abd al-’Aziz Al Saud on "Witchcraft" Case] from Human Rights Watch
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7244579.stm "Pleas for condemned Saudi 'witch'"] , "BBC", 14 February 2008