Gang Rape Victim to Get 200 Lashes
A gang-rape victim in Saudi Arabia who appealed her original sentence of 90 lashes has indeed won a change in the penalty imposed on her for violating the country’s laws requiring segregation of the sexes. But it was not the one she had hoped for.
Instead of reducing the 19-year-old woman’s sentence, an appellate court has increased it to 200 lashes and added a six-month jail term, reports the British Broadcasting Corp. Apparently, the court did so because it felt she had improperly attempted to use the news media to influence her case.
The court also doubled the original jail sentences for the seven men who committed the sex crimes. They now reportedly face prison terms of between two and 10 years. This still is viewed as not particularly severe punishment for the perpetrators, the news agency says, because they could have been sentenced to death.
The victim’s lawyer did not escape punishment for his role in the appeal either: He “was suspended from the case, has had his license to work confiscated, and faces a disciplinary session,” the BBC writes.
