BillCosby

Report: Court Sentences Rape Victim

11 hours ago



RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A Saudi court sentenced a woman who had been gang raped to six months in jail and 200 lashes — more than doubling her initial penalty for being in the car of a man who was not a relative, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The decision by the Qatif General Court came in a case that had sparked rare debate about the kingdom's justice system when it surfaced more than a year ago.

In its decision Wednesday, the court also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the 19-year-old woman, the Arab News reported on its English-language Web site.

According to Arab News, the court said the woman's punishment was increased because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."

She had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicting her of violating Saudi's rigid laws on segregation of the sexes.

Under Saudi Arabia's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives.

The initial sentences for the men convicted of the gang rape ranged from 10 months to five years in prison. Their new sentences range from two to nine years, the paper said.

The attack took place in 2006. The woman has said that it occurred as she tried to retrieve her picture from a male high school student she used to know. While in the car with the student, two men got into the vehicle and drove them to a secluded area. She said she was raped there by seven men, three of whom also attacked her friend.

Reports of the story triggered debate about Saudi Arabia's legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers are present. The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges.

The judges, appointed by the king, have a wide discretion in handing down sentences, often said to depend on their whim. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light or no sentence, to death.

The woman was identified in the media only as the Girl from Qatif. The case was referred back to the General Court by an appeals court last summer, after the woman's attorney argued the verdict was too lenient for the rapists and unjust for the victim.

The court also banned the lawyer from defending her, confiscated his license to practice law and summoned him to a disciplinary hearing later this month.

"I explained to them that it was my job to do everything legal in order to serve my client. But they did not listen," the lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, was quoted by the paper as saying.

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

Teri B.

Duvidoo

A young woman gets sentenced for having been gang raped!?!
Something is DREADFULLY wrong with that picture.
Maybe the U.S. should have gone after the Saudis rather than the Talibandits?

Teri B.

Ya think?

Kana

This is disgusting. The fact that it happens in places like Iran is bad enough, but in Saudi Arabia... our "friends". The fact that this could happen anywhere in 2007 is just beyond disgusting.

I'm a bit surprised we have seen any Henry Makow-bots pipe in to point out that women in the West have it so much worse because of bikinis and strip clubs.

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Groovyville

BillCosby

Most of the 911 ppl were from there & wakistan who would think of attacking them...........

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

BillCosby

Democrats condemn Saudi rape case

Hillary Clinton led a chorus of Democratic condemnations
US Democratic party presidential contenders say they are outraged at a Saudi court increasing the punishment handed to a gang-rape victim.

The woman was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail because she was in an unrelated man's car. The car was attacked by a gang who raped her.

Hillary Clinton said King Abdullah should cancel the ruling. Barack Obama said the sentence was "beyond unjust".

Similar criticism came from Joe Biden and John Edwards.

The 19-year-old victim has not been named but has become known as the Qatif girl, a reference to her home town. The man in the car was also assaulted.


I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman
Hillary Clinton

She had originally been given a lighter sentence, but it was increased on appeal last week - as were those of the seven men involved in the attacks.

Court sources were reported as saying the judges did not like the publicity the victim's lawyer had generated for the case.

The court also banned him from the courtroom and took away his licence to practice.

Human rights 'priority'

The case has attracted much attention and criticism in the United States. The State Department has expressed "astonishment" at the sentence.

But for Sen Clinton, this was too weak a reaction.


Barack Obama says the ruling was 'beyond unjust'

"I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman," she said.

"As president I will once again make human rights an American priority around the world."

Sen Obama wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, urging her to condemn the ruling.

"That the victim was sentenced at all is unjust, but that the court doubled the sentence because of efforts to call attention to the ruling is beyond unjust," he said.

Mr Edwards said in a statement: "I am outraged that President Bush has refused to condemn the sentence".

Sen Biden also called on King Abdullah to overturn the court's decision.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have defended the sentence as consistent with Saudi law, and warned against "agitation through the media" - a sign of how sensitive the authorities are to the fact that the woman and her lawyer sought to use the media to highlight the case, says BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy.

The US-based Human Rights Watch said the ruling sent victims of sexual violence the message that they should not press charges.

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

Teri B.

GOOD FOR HER! PIECE OF SHIT ASSHOLES WE'RE IN BED WITH!

gorillamom

It is unfortunate for all of humainty when this is allowed to happen. It's things like this that make me wonder what do we really have thank for on this day of thanking. However, Saudi rabia controls 60% of the worlds ecomony with it's oil recorses. That's why no one will challenge their behavior.

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The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

BillCosby

Somehow things like that have ways of covering up a lot of bad. DOne of course to others, not us...........

I thought it @ least worth mentioning that a few american politcals found time to notice that some of our "less loved" friends are not as perfect as we are......

Hey if this keeps up I guess we can still have hope that something will happen on the Armenian Holocaust w/in our life time.. Oh & as the Turkish usefulness subsides.......

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror