In 1993, Amnesty International reported that public executions in Saudi Arabia have reached "shocking proportions" in the past year, with a fourfold increase to 105 in the number of people being beheaded publically. The executions often followed grossly unfair trials. One Shi'ite Muslim was beheaded after being convicted of blasphemy and renouncing his faith. He was arrested for throwing stones three years before his execution, and was reportedly tortured and held in solitary confinement for long periods.