RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) â Saudi Arabia's Justice Ministry said a girl who it sentenced to jail time and flogging after being gang raped by seven men was an adulteress who invited the attack because at the time she was partially dressed in a parked car with her lover. The statement from the ministry, carried by the Saudi Press Agency late Saturday, defended the court's decision to sentence the girl to six months in prison and 200 lashes for violating the country's strict sex segregation laws. It also sought to ease international outrage over the case by discrediting the woman who had told reporters earlier that she was meeting a friend from high school when the attack occurred. "The Saudi justice minister expressed his regret about the media reports over the role of the women in this case which put out false information and wrongly defended her," the statement said. "The charged girl is a married woman who confessed to having an affair with the man she was caught with." Known only as the "Girl from Qatif," the 19-year-old rape victim said she was a newlywed who was meeting a high school friend in his car to retrieve a picture of herself from him when the attack occurred in the eastern city of Qatif. While in a car with him, two men got into the vehicle and drove them to a secluded area where others waited, and then she and her companion were both raped. Story continues Story continues Advertisment Click to learn more... The ministry's latest account of the incident alleges that the woman and her lover met in his car for a tryst "in a dark place where they stayed for a while." "Then they were spotted by the other defendants as the woman was in an indecent condition as she had tossed away her clothes, then the assault occurred on her and the man," the statement added. It said the sentence of prison and lashes, handed down last week following an appeal, was legal and followed the "the book of God and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad," noting that she had "confessed to doing what God has forbidden." The woman and her husband were "convinced of the verdict and agreed to it," it said. The girl was initially sentenced to prison and 90 lashes for being alone with a man not related to her. When her lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, appealed the sentence, he was removed from the case, his license was suspended and the penalty was doubled to 200 lashes. The increase in sentence received heavy coverage in the international media and prompted expressions of astonishment from the U.S. government. Canada called it "barbaric." Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. Also, women in Saudi Arabia are often sentenced to flogging and even death for adultery and other crimes. The seven men convicted of gang raping the woman were given prison sentences of two to nine years. The initial sentences for the men ranged from 10 months to five years in prison. The case has sparked rare domestic debate about Saudi Arabia's legal system, which gives judges wide discretion in sentencing criminals, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no lawyers are present. Justice in Saudi Arabia is administered by a system of religious courts and judges appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council. Those courts and judges have complete discretion to set sentences, except in cases where Sharia outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes. That means that no two judges would likely hand down the same verdict for similar crimes. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light or no sentence to death, depending on the judge's discretion.
I just love how this US ally is allowed to crush democracy, and the US says lip service. So much for spreading democracy. Say, how much was the latest arms deal to Saudi? Now THAT is more important than people's rights. We live in a sick western death culture, where arms deals are all that matters. ---------------------------------- from a BBC article. " The US, a major Saudi ally, declined to comment specifically on the sentence, but did call the case "astonishing" Saudi rape victim 'having affair' Saudi women are not allowed to mingle with unrelated men Saudi justice officials say a woman who was sentenced to prison and flogging after she was gang-raped has now confessed to an extramarital affair. The case of the unidentified woman, 19, drew international criticism after an appeal increased her 90-lash sentence to 200 lashes and six months' jail. The justice ministry statement rejected "foreign interference" in the case. It insisted the ruling was legal and that the woman had "confessed to doing what God has forbidden". The statement carried by the official press agency late on Saturday said the sentence would be carried out in accordance with Saudi law. The woman was initially to be punished for violating strict gender segregation laws in Saudi Arabia, for riding in the car of a man who was not related to her when they were both attacked. "The Saudi justice minister expressed his regret about the media reports over the role of the woman in this case which put out false information and wrongly defend her," the statement said. "The charged girl is a married woman who confessed to having an affair with the man she was caught with." Barbaric Adultery is a punishable offence in Saudi Arabia's strict system of Islamic law, and correspondents say judges are given wide powers to impose custodial sentences or corporal punishment. The justice ministry statement is at odds with previous published testimony of the woman, who is a Shia Muslim from the Qatif area. She has reportedly said she met the car-owner in order to retrieve a photo of them together, having herself recently got married. She says two men entered the car and drove them to a secluded area where others were waiting, and both she and her male companion were raped. Her sentence was increased on appeal after judges wanted to punish her for attempting to use the media to influence the case. Her attackers' sentences - originally up to five years - were also doubled. The woman's companion was sentenced to 90 lashes. Several governments and human rights groups have condemned her sentence and urged it to be lifted. Canada described it as "barbaric". The US, a major Saudi ally, declined to comment specifically on the sentence, but did call the case "astonishing
Oddly, the story i read left out many of those features, and indeed, were this a trial by media, the evidence is vastly conflcting. Her companion, a male was also raped?Her husband? She was married, rather than engaged?And in the car with a "lover", rather than her fiance-husband? And does it matter, given this was clearly pre-planned, and the saudi's are worthless cult followers?
Hey...another muslim law country...like I said PROFITS OVER PEOPLE. How come the OP is not screaming about this one...doing business with such barbaric countries under muslime law? Oh yoo-hoo, you "freedom loving" conservatives, stand up for womens' rights and democracy now, let me see you. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJwic2y9G.z0&refer=home Citigroup to Get $7.5 Billion Infusion From Abu Dhabi (Update1
It shoudnt need to be pointed out, greater injustices occur every day, all over the world. Just not, generally, in the name of some stupid cult, usually the result of some other bullshit instead, such as the 15 yr old"relentlessly raped" in a holding cell in brazil. Still, one of islams greatest heroes, just for fun, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur Im sure he wouldn't have a problem with it. After all, infidels, just like goyum, deserve no consideration.
So she gets RAPED 14x by seven men, then gets her sentence doubled because she appeals. I do not understand why any woman would want to live in a Muslim nation. Can not get a job unless a male relative gives permission, but going to jail after a gang rape is beyond barbaric.
I have been trying to make sense of this. I hope that somebody could help me understand why a country and actually a whole religion aceepts this as SOP.
Maybe that's why Muslims like MorontoTrader2 end up in a western country where they have the freedom to bitch and whine as many times as they want about how like sucks here without any consequences.
Imam's daughter in hiding after her conversion to Christianity sparked death threats By LIZ HULL and DANIEL BATES - More by this author » Last updated at 01:04am on 7th December 2007 Some Muslims who want to convert are 'living in fear' (Posed by model) The daughter of a British imam is living under police protection after receiving death threats from her father for converting to Christianity. The 31-year-old, whose father is the leader of a mosque in Lancashire, has moved house an astonishing 45 times after relatives pledged to hunt her down and kill her. The British-born university graduate, who uses the pseudonym Hannah for her own safety, said she renounced the Muslim faith to escape being forced into an arranged marriage when she was 16. She has been in hiding for more than a decade but called in police only a few months ago after receiving a text message from her brother. In it, he said he would not be held responsible for his actions if she failed to return to Islam. Officers have agreed to offer her protection in case of an attempt on her life. Last night the woman said: "I'm determined to live my life the way I want to because I should have that freedom in this country. "If you make the choice to come to this country, as my parents did from Pakistan, you have to abide by the laws of this country and that means respecting the freedoms of other people.
Shouldn't have been having an affair. This would have never had to happen. I think the word is Karma. The woman's husband sitting at home was the one raped in this case.