( CNN ) '' I did not kill ! I did not kill ! '' a woman shrieks as Saudi police wrap her head with a black scarf . `` Praise God , '' a Saudi executioner dressed in white tells her . He lifts his long silver sword and strikes her neck -- a gasp , then she falls silent . Twice more the hangman hacks at her neck , before stepping away to carefully wipe the blade . Ambulance workers immediately start placing the woman 's remains on a stretcher as charges against her are hurriedly read out over a loud speaker in the Muslim holy city of Mecca . She was accused of raping her seven-year-old stepdaughter with a broomstick and beating her to death . `` A royal decree was issued to carry out the sharia law , in accordance with what is right , '' the statement says . Cell phone footage of the execution , leaked last week by activists , gives a rare glimpse into what human rights groups call a barbaric practice of public decapitation as a punitive measure handed down by Saudi Arabia 's judicial system . The country executed 87 people in 2014 , most by beheading , Human Rights Watch told CNN . Saudi officials told CNN the punishment is an integral part of their system of Islamic law , and the only violation that took place at the macabre scene was the illegal filming of the act . The man responsible for the recording now faces charges of violating the country 's cyber laws and will be tried , a Saudi official not authorized to speak on the case said . `` We emphasize respect for the right to life as one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the law . It should not make us forget the rights of other parties violated by the perpetrators , which has to be seen with the same degree of respect , Mohammed al-Muadi , of the government backed Saudi Human Rights Commission told CNN when asked specifically about the practice of beheading . The oil-rich kingdom appears unyielding to international pressure , but domestically , a quiet debate is ongoing between hardline conservatives and more moderate members of the legal community , experts tell CNN . Abdulaziz Algasim , a former sharia law judge , said : `` From a pure Islamic law point of view there is no limitation for developing capital punishment . '' But he said that methods such as lethal injection may be considered in coming years . `` There is dialogue in the jurisprudence society that another alternative action can achieve the goal with more mercy , and fit better with human rights . '' A project inaugurated by the ruling King Abdullah to put laws into writing has ushered in a shift from the current uncodified system , which provides judges with little guideline or precedence . `` This is all part of big issue of division . The sharia court led by conservatives wants to keep the regulation away from the influence of the political regime , so they are very sensitive , '' Algasim says , `` On the other side , the modernization has to be achieved and it needs a lot of development in the public policy if you want to develop a way to measure punishment and establish a more humanized alternative . '' Beheadings : Too horrified to watch , too fascinated to turn away .
Cell phone footage of a Saudi beheading was leaked by activists . The video gives a glimpse into what human rights groups call a barbaric practice . Human Rights Watch : The country executed 87 people in seven-year-old , most by beheading . Islamic officials told Saudi Human Rights Commission the punishment is an integral part of their system of Saudi law .