But not so in the 7th Century world of Saudi Arabia it seems. A Saudi woman will receive a punishment of 200 lashes and six months in prison after she was raped by seven men and her lawyer spoke in the Sharia Court in her defence.
Initially the court had ordered that the victim should be lashed 90 times
after she was convicted of violating the strict code of conduct on segregation
of sexes.
The woman's sentence was doubled after her defence lawyer spoke against the
harsh and unjust punishment. The court also accused the women for speaking to
press.
The court also roughly doubled the sentence of the convicts- seven men who
had raped her.
The verdict has causes huge uproar across the world. The verdict was termed
as 'barbaric' by Jose Verger, the Canadian minister responsible for the status
of women. New York-based Human rights group took a stern view of the sentence.
"Not only sends victims of sexual violence the message that they should not
press charges, but in effect offers protection and impunity to the
perpetrators," it was quoted on Clarionproject.org.
The Saudi judiciary has stood by its decision. The judiciary said, "The
Ministry of Justice welcomes constructive criticism, away from emotions." The
court has accused the girl of being in a car with a strange male.
The incident happened in the year 2006; the victim said it occurred as she
tried to retrieve her picture from a male high school student she used to know.
While in a 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. The case was referred back to the General Court by an
appeals court last summer, after the woman's lawyer contested the initial
verdict, saying it was too lenient for the rapists and unjust for the
victim.
Dailybhaskar.com
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