Mick Hartley

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A Shock to Everybody

When a 19-year-old girl was gang-raped by seven men in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, a year and a half ago, she was sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the car of an unrelated male at the time of the rape. The sentences for the seven rapists ranged from 10 months to five years in prison. Her lawyer appealed, and the case was referred back to the court. And now:

The General Court in Qatif yesterday doubled the number of lashes for a rape victim as well as jail terms for her assaulters. In its verdict, the court also suspended the victim’s lawyer from defending her.

The case was referred back to the General Court by the Appeals Court judges last summer after Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, the victim’s lawyer, successfully contested against the initial verdict saying it too lenient for the rapists and unjust for the victim…

The Appeals Court sentenced the victim to 200 lashes and six months in prison. The seven rapists had their sentences increased to between two and nine years. The verdict came in as a shock to everybody.

A source at the Qatif General Court said that the judges had informed the rape victim that the reason behind doubling her punishment was “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.”

Judge Soliman Al-Muhanna from the Qatif court told the lawyer (Al-Lahem) that the judicial committee had decided to suspend him from the case. They also confiscated his license which is granted to Saudi lawyers by the Ministry of Justice.

“I explained to them that it was my job to do everything legal in order to serve my client. But they did not listen,” he said.

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3 responses to “A Shock to Everybody”

  1. DaninVan Avatar
    DaninVan

    200 lashes?!! That’s likely a death sentence.
    From the judge’s (I won’t dignify him by capitalizing his title) remark, he actually recognizes the danger of publicity…so give it to him, in spades.

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  2. Noga Avatar
    Noga

    Just what I thought, it’s a death sentence. It’s a strange kind of justice system. It is as though it warns people not pursue these cases, for the pursuer of justice will be punished more severely than the actual offenders. What a nightmarish concept!

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  3. Alcuin Avatar
    Alcuin

    One is reminded of old jokes about Apartheid South Africa, where the SA police would blame the victim of an assault if he happened to be black. Such as:
    Van der Moeve is driving too fast round a bend, and mows down two black pedestrians crossing the road. One is tossed over the car and lands in the road, the other goes through the windscreen, landing on the back seat. Van has to stop, as he cannot see through his windscreen. The SA police are quick on the scene. “I think you may have been exceeding the speed limit, sir. Try not to do it again.”, he smiles at Van. The smile vanishes as the policeman addresses the blacks: “Right, you (lying in the road) are causing an obstruction, and I’ll have you (on the back seat) for breaking and entering”.
    Most cultures have a fall guy for their jokes – in old SA it was Van der Moeve. I wonder if they have one in Saudi – perhaps Filipinos. In fact I wonder if they have jokes.

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