Ahmad, who allegedly uploaded videos to social media in which he renounced Islam, was arrested on charges of atheism and blasphemy and held in prison before being convicted and sentenced to death.
Ahmad al-Shamri is a Saudi Arabian man who in February 2015 was convicted by trial on charges of blasphemy and apostasy. In his twenties at the time of conviction, he had apparently posted videos to social media in which he renounced Islam and made disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. This attracted the attention of government authorities, who quickly arrested him and made him stand trial.
"I wish there could be live streaming when you cut his head off." - social media post celebrating Ahmad's sentencing
Ahmad’s conviction occurred despite the legal defense he and his lawyers put forward, which argued that Ahmad should not face the death penalty on reason of insanity. They said that, in addition to lacking mental soundness, Ahmad had also been under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he made the offending posts. This was largely disregarded; by Qur’anic law, Ahmad had to be put to execution for his crimes, and so he was.
Although Ahmad is, by all accounts, not yet dead, he is still on death row awaiting execution, having already tried and failed to appeal his case.
Of Saudi Arabia's 34 million citizens, 85-90% are Sunni Muslim, which, despite nearly a million Christian foreign workers, is the only religion legally allowed to be practiced. It has no written criminal code. Islamic religious law is the law of the land, and blasphemy and apostasy are specifically prohibited and systematically prosecuted. The country is a theocratic monarchy, and under siyasa policy, any act taken by the king must conform to Islamic principles. Islamic scholars, ulema, are directly consulted in the development of legislation.