Billboard depicting Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is erected near al-Amin mosque in Beirut
A billboard depicting Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is erected near al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut in this file photo. REUTERS

On Tuesday, Muree bin Ali Issa al-Asiri was beheaded in Saudi Arabia on charges of witchcraft and sorcery. He also admitted committing adultery with two women, according to a statement from the Saudi Press Agency.

Asiri was charged after mystical books and talismans were allegedly found in his possession.

Human rights organizations have criticized Saudi Arabia's persecution of alleged sorcerers; a similar execution took place just last December after a Saudi woman was charged with witchcraft.

In the conservative Islamic country of Saudi Arabia, there is no official criminal code, according to Al Jazeera. Instead, the justice system adheres to Islamic sharia law. Inconsistencies are endemic, since case-by-case interpretations of the law are left up to individual judges.

Amnesty International reports that executions in the country have been on the rise in recent years. On the same day Asiri was executed for sorcery, three more were also beheaded for other crimes.

Al Jazeera Human rights Al Jazeera Human rights