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Shortly after his arrest Mr. Sibat appeared on a Saudi television talk show and confessed to sorcery. “Most of my treatments were with honey and seeds,” he said. “You would put the charm in the honey and drink from it.” Since then, he has remained in prison, and in 2009 he was sentenced to death.

There has been little public outcry in Saudi Arabia over the case, which is considered rather ordinary, according to political experts in the capital, Riyadh. But the international attention and criticism has cast a harsh light on the ultra-religious side of Saudi Arabia as the kingdom is working to improve its reputation, especially in the West.

The case highlights not only the popular belief in magic and sorcery — by no means unique to Saudi Arabia — but also a legal system that critics say operates in secret and functions with little oversight, due process or even written laws. Saudi Arabia’s Constitution is the Koran.

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