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Saudi Rape Victim Gets Jail for Appealing
19-year-old woman earns 200 lashes and 6 months in prison
By Jonas Oransky
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Posted Nov 16, 07 7:36 PM CST
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(Newser)
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A Saudi woman who was gang-raped by 14 men has been sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison, the BBC reports. Her original crime was being in the car with a man unrelated to her, but her punishment was doubled and prison time added when she appealed the original sentence. Judges said she tried to use the media to influence them; her lawyer says the sentence violates both Sharia law and international conventions.
Seven of the Shia woman’s rapists—all Sunnis—were sentenced to prison time; the judges also doubled their sentences. The woman’s attorney has been suspended from the case and had his license revoked. He says the court let personal views influence it and vowed to file another appeal.