Criminal Justice
Saudi Rape Victim Pardoned for Being Alone in Car
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has pardoned a woman who was sentenced to prison for being alone in a car with a man before she was raped by seven men.
The woman’s sentence was increased to six months in prison and 200 lashes when she appealed a shorter original sentence, the Associated Press reports. The appeals court also pulled the law license of the woman’s lawyer, human rights activist Abdul-Rahman al-Lahem.
The woman claimed she was merely trying to retrieve a photograph of herself from the man, a former boyfriend, according to the New York Times. Her case provoked international criticism, including a statement from the White House calling the sentence outrageous, the Associated Press reported.
Updated 1:24 p.m. CST.
