Saudi gang-rape victim is whipped and jailed

[heyabbott]

More lessons in tolerance and justice from the country who holds itself to be the keeper of the true faith of Islam.

By Frances Harrison
BBC News


Saudi women are subject to strict sex segregation laws
An appeal court in Saudi Arabia has doubled the number of lashes and added a jail sentence as punishment for a woman who was gang-raped.

The victim was initially punished for violating laws on segregation of the sexes - she was in an unrelated man's car at the time of the attack.

When she appealed, the judges said she had been attempting to use the media to influence them.

The attackers' sentences - originally of up to five years - were doubled.

Extra penalties

According to the Arab News newspaper, the 19-year-old woman, who is from Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, was gang-raped 14 times in an attack in the eastern province a year-and-a-half ago.

Seven men from the majority Sunni community were found guilty of the rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from just under a year to five years.

But the victim was also punished for violating Saudi Arabia's laws on segregation that forbid unrelated men and women from associating with each other. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the car of a strange man.

On appeal, the Arab News reported that the punishment was not reduced but increased to 200 lashes and a six-month prison sentence.

The rapists also had their prison terms doubled. But the sentences are still low considering they could have faced the death penalty.

The Arab News quoted an official as saying the judges had decided to punish the girl for trying to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.

The victim's lawyer was suspended from the case, has had his licence to work confiscated, and faces a disciplinary session.

 

[Ace]

Hey, leave W's friends alone.

 

[alleyallen]

Poin....I think you'll have a hard time finding a lot of knowledgable Americans trying to defend Saudi's ridiculous legal system, especially in this case.

 

[heyabbott]

Hey, leave W's friends alone.

When oil's at $30 a barrel I'm willing to let **** like this slide, but at $95 a barrel, we should just invade Saudi Arabia and let Iran have Iraq.

 

[Ace]

I am constantly surprised that in some of these backward ass countries that the men all don't wake up one day bleeding from the nether region with the women all holding rusty kitchen knives.

 

[Beaker]

It's great how we attack Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and yet we're still nominally friends w/the Saudis, a country which supplied quite a few of the 9/11 hijackers.

 

[heyabbott]

It's great how we attack Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and yet we're still nominally friends w/the Saudis, a country which supplied quite a few of the 9/11 hijackers.

15 of 19 were Saudis as is Mister Al Queda himself, OBL.

 

[JR]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

 

[Lyman_Bostock]

It's great how we attack Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and yet we're still nominally friends w/the Saudis, a country which supplied quite a few of the 9/11 hijackers.

Would you support a U.S. invasion of Saudi Arabia? (Or would have supported one in 2003?)

 

[Lyman_Bostock]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

Of course, because the U.S. is executing the victims of crimes, or just random people off the street. Christ.

 

[Ace]

It's great how we attack Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and yet we're still nominally friends w/the Saudis, a country which supplied quite a few of the 9/11 hijackers.

Would you support a U.S. invasion of Saudi Arabia? (Or would have supported one in 2003?)

Installing a democracy in Saudi Arabia would go a lot further in spreading democracy throughout the Middle East, for sure.

Only drawback I can think of is that it's impossible. While some will put up with us in Persia, no way we'd be welcome in Saudi Arabia.

 

[JR]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

I Of course, because the U.S. is executing the victims of crimes, or just random people off the street. Christ.

I figured as much from you. I was surprised you weren't over with Junkie at the "Speak English thread"

When you stop killing your citizens in record numbers, you can talk about how wonderful your legal system is.

My comment was not a defense of the Saudis--but if you want to clean a system up, start in your own backyard and keep your nose out of your neighbours's

Oh, wait. That's an American tradition, minding other peoples' business.

 

[black dude with pompano]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

Until then, we're not allowed to offer any comment?

 

[Ace]

You Canadians are way too fond of flannel, by the way. Makes you look puffy.

 

[black dude with pompano]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

I Of course, because the U.S. is executing the victims of crimes, or just random people off the street. Christ.

I figured as much from you. I was surprised you weren't over with Junkie at the "Speak English thread"

When you stop killing your citizens in record numbers, you can talk about how wonderful your legal system is.

My comment was not a defense of the Saudis--but if you want to clean a system up, start in your own backyard and keep your nose out of your neighbours's

Oh, wait. That's an American tradition, minding other peoples' business.

Only you could write something so outlandish and obnoxious -- and do it with a straight face (I assume).

You're an even bigger caricature than the right-wingers on SJ.

 

[Dangerous_K]

I think that when the U.S. stops leading most of the world in executions, you can chirp all you want about other countries' legal systems.

Of course, because the U.S. is executing the victims of crimes, or just random people off the street. Christ.

Not that I agree with all the points JR is making, but Ray Krone and Ryan Matthews might have something to say about this particular statement.

 

[Beaker]

I agree with Ace concerning the relative impossibility of an attack on Saudia Arabia. I was simply pointing out the iniquity of attacking Iraq.

 

[alanTdot]

Let he who is without sin .....

 

[Double Down]

Let he who is without sin .....

Blog about it?

 

[alanTdot]

I agree with Ace concerning the relative impossibility of an attack on Saudia Arabia. I was simply pointing out the iniquity of attacking Iraq.

Why not attack friggin Saudi? Really, why not? Is it better to wait until oil is priced at $195 a barrel and we are out in the streets fighting for scraps of meat?

No one is working to figure out how our petroleum based economies are going to work without , um, petroleum, so why not just start invading countries for oil.

(BTW there is a ****load of oil in Canada, and our army is mostly theoretical so screw the cultural and economic colonization that the US has already achieved in Canada, why not just get some off duty policemen to come up and take the oil.)