DUBAI (Farrag Ismail, AlArabiya.net)
A Saudi girl raped by seven men was sentenced to prison and flogging for being in the company of an unrelated man when the crime took place, and her lawyer has had his license revoke for fighting her case.
The girl was kidnapped at knifepoint in March 2006 in the Eastern region of Al-Qatif. The rapists filmed their crime and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident.
The criminals were initially sentenced to 1-5 years in jail and 80-1,000 lashes, and the girl was sentenced to 90 lashes.
The girl's lawyer Abdul-Rahman Al-Lahem and other activists saw the sentences handed to the accused, who were armed when they assaulted the woman, as too lenient in a country where rape can carry the death penalty.
He also called on the court not to link the rape case to the girl's being in the company of an unrelated man – an act that is forbidden in Saudi society.
"The fact that the girl was with another man should not interfere with the verdict or be considered the reason for the crime like the court claimed. Plus, she was forced to meet this man because he was blackmailing her with pictures of her. And she met him in a public place."
The man, who was also kidnapped and beaten, was charged with "illicit privacy" and got the same sentence as the girl.
Lahem, human rights activist, told AlArabiya.net that when he contested the ruling, the court passed a stricter one -- the criminals got 2 to 6 years in jail and the girl's sentence was raised to 6 months in jail and 200 lashes. |
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Lawyer on trial The court dismissed Lahem from the case and revoked his license. He will appear before a disciplinary committee at the Ministry of Justice on Dec. 5 for criticizing the judiciary and conducting activist campaigns in the media.
"Neither the judiciary nor the Ministry of Justice has the right to do that," said Lahem, and vowed to contest the decision with the Ministry.
"Nothing in the Saudi system criminalizes calling for reforming the judiciary. A lawyer is like any intellectual who should be granted freedom of expression as long as he abides by the religious and political rules of the country."
The girl, who describes herself as "a body without a soul" after the incident, recounted what happened to AlArabiya.net.
"Two unmasked men placed a knife on my neck to prevent me from screaming. They dragged me to an isolated place, and despite my pleadings, took turns raping me. I was tied up with iron chains and sustained deep wounds in different parts of my body."
At the trial, the girl said the rapists laughed challengingly and looked at her with contempt: "As if nothing happened."
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
