Rape VICTIM sentenced to half a year in jail and 200 lashes

[Icey]

This is by far the most disturbing thing I have ever read, and it really makes me sick:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071116/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_justice

With a legal system like that, I'd rather have no system at all...

To add to the injustice, even her lawyer is being put on trial now... for defending her. Surely I'm not the only one who sees serious, fundamental flaws there.

[Breaker]

Welcome to the middle east.

[Aegix Drakan]

-_- Looks like the woman got lucky (yes I did say she was lucky)

I've seen and heard of several cases where the woman who was raped was executed. So lashes ans jail time are an improvement.


...BTW, if it's not apparent, I loathe those countries for their total lack of respect for human rights (especially for women). >_> I mean sheesh, being punished for being assaulted and raped?

And I don't like that the judges there can do whatever they want. Justice is supposed to be objective, no subjective. And lastly, the lawer was just doing his job. It's his job to defend people. So why revoke his licsence for doing what he was supposed to do?

[The_Amaster]

Yeah, my history teacher mentioned this today. It's a messed up world out there. I mean, this is at the point where you quite honestly wonder "what were they thinking?"

[deathbyhokie]

According to Arab News, the court said the woman's punishment was increased because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."

So she got a more severe punishment for trying to be an attention whore. Too bad we don't have a similiar law here.

[copsgotguns]

not to defend them but thats the culture in that part of the world and thats how its always been and will probably ever will be. the last thing i would want is for western crusaders to go over there and to westernize the culture...oh wait

[Breaker]

Yeah, my history teacher mentioned this today. It's a messed up world out there. I mean, this is at the point where you quite honestly wonder "what were they thinking?"

Only if you've been living in a hole all your life and completely ignorant of the rest of the world. It's a cruel place, get used to it.

[Russ]

Oh my gosh. I knew Middle Easterns had some wierd views on women's rights, but this is ridiculous.

[mikeron]

So she got a more severe punishment for trying to be an attention whore. Too bad we don't have a similiar law here.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Lilith]

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[Rainman]

So she got a more severe punishment for trying to be an attention whore. Too bad we don't have a similiar law here.

I just don't understand this statement at all.

[deathbyhokie]

I just don't understand this statement at all.

ORginially the woman was sentanced to 90 lashes for being in the presence of a male who wasn't in her family. This is Saudi law, and although not something that i necessarily approve of, she knew the law and broke it.

Then she attempted to influence and aggrivate the judicary by running to the media. The judges took a dim view of this sort of asshattery, and promptly smacked her with a heavier sentance for being an attention whore, and attempting to use the media to influence her case in court.

After all the BS that went down in Duke, it's easy to see how the media can royally fuck up an investigation and trial when they get involved.

[Icey]

Then she attempted to influence and aggrivate the judicary by running to the media. The judges took a dim view of this sort of asshattery, and promptly smacked her with a heavier sentance for being an attention whore, and attempting to use the media to influence her case in court.



Indeed, no one should ever attempt to change the way rape cases are handled in SA by trying to get the forces of public opinion on their side...

Sorry, there are so many differences in this case and the Duke one, and so many different things involved (different legal system, different media, different culture... it goes on) that I don't buy that analogy at all.

[Breaker]

Sorry, there are so many differences in this case and the Duke one, and so many different things involved (different legal system, different media, different culture... it goes on) that I don't buy that analogy at all.

They're incomparable. The Saudi government is embarassed and punishing the victim for bringing international attention to the case. They're digging themselves into a hole IMO. What's unfortunate is that there are countries in the middle east with far worse judicial systems (or none at all) than Saudi Arabia. Things like this happen all the time over there.

[Gerudo]

There's a difference. The Duke case was bullshit right from the start. If the stupid bitch coulda kept her story straight, as well as the dumbass DA not PUBLICALLY playing uber favorites (as opposed to doing his job correctly), the case might have been done in her favor. Who cares about that case anymore.

This here is just stupidity. Culture or not, it's like condemning the woman for being raped in the first place, regardless of circumstance. 200 lashes? bleh...


source: click (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia)
The reasons women are forbidden to testify in proceedings are (quote):[10] [11]
Women are much more emotional than men and will, as a result of their emotions, distort their testimony.
Women do not participate in public life, so they will not be capable of understanding what they observe.
Women are dominated completely by men, who by the grace of God are deemed superior; therefore, women will give testimony according to what the last man told them.
Women are forgetful, and their testimony cannot be considered reliable.

As a result of these laws women are particularly vulnerable in cases of assault and/or rape, as their testimony is treated as a presumption, while that of their attackers is accepted as fact.
It's a wonder why the men got punished at all.

[Glitch]

Shoulda been 300.

[Lilith]

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[Mitsukara]

Not to be rude and pretentious, but frankly, quite a lot of middle east culture, especially of the older sort, tends to be made of instant fail. I hold no respect for any country that has laws like these to begin with, and neither should any human being with self-respect or any degree of respect for others.

Also, Lilith has a very good point. America is jaded by it's mass quantities of pointless, destructive media whoring, but that's not what this person was doing- she was trying to stand up for herself when she was being punished for having gone through a hellish, horrible ordeal that she just happened to get into because, guess what, she had stood up for herself to even get out there and try to live a different life in the first place. Shame on her, huh? Yeah, I really hate that self-esteem crap, and individuality crap, and curiousity crap; anyone who does it should be slashed hundreds of times in an inaccurate count, or better yet killed. Or raped. Or all of that more than once in various sequence.

And that's so like Jessica Lohan Blonde 19something whatever acting like a fool on camera and making a mockery of someone's culture or insulting real human rights activists or whatever sensational extreme drama stuff it is the hip kids are doing these days. Exactly the same situation, yep yep.

Just my thoughts.

[Lilith]

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[Gerudo]

Most people in positions able to make changes only care when it is convenient to them, not when people need them to care.

[copsgotguns]

Women were treated shittily in the western world as well until there were major social changes. Change can happen, there's no reason to sit by and dismiss this shit as "culture" as we lazily do.

the difference is the western world changed on its own, not with middle eastern crusaders.

[Daarkseid]

the difference is the western world changed on its own, not with middle eastern crusaders.

The Western world was also free and democratic(at least a portion of it until after WWII).

Of course nothing was going to change from the outset, because the US government has more of a vested interest in supporting the Saudis.

At least, not until Iran and Syria are trampled over with the treads of our M1 battle tanks. Then maybe it might seem possible that our ham fisted government could do something about women's rights in Saudi Arabia. As if a conservative President cares that much about women's rights.

[ZTC]

Karma will bite them in the ass later on in life.

[biggiy05]

Karma will bite them in the ass later on in life.

Too bad they more than likely don't believe in it.

[copsgotguns]

hmm, dont remember readin about karma in a christian bible either. isnt that more of a far east belief. its a sin to believe in more than 1 religion you know, including astrology...??

[Lilith]

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[Brasel]

The Western world was also free and democratic(at least a portion of it until after WWII).

Of course nothing was going to change from the outset, because the US government has more of a vested interest in supporting the Saudis.

At least, not until Iran and Syria are trampled over with the treads of our M1 battle tanks. Then maybe it might seem possible that our ham fisted government could do something about women's rights in Saudi Arabia. As if a conservative President cares that much about women's rights.

Good lord I hope I'm not in for that. Iran and Syria would be much more violent than anything in Iraq.

We're briefed to not even look at the women here. Something so little as a sidelong glance could get a woman beaten by a male in her family. I've heard of a couple little 5 or 6 year old boys being the head of their family because their father was killed even if their mother is an adult. There is no respect for women in this area. I can't say that its right or wrong, because its not my culture. While it seems cruel and wrong to us, they've been living this way for hundreds of years. I really don't see a quick fix anytime soon. It'll have to be a long process that could take centuries to "fix".

[MottZilla]

It's not "culture", it's caveman cock waving. I've got a cock I'm better than you. It's wrong and we have every right to say it is. Atleast if that's what you call "culture" you don't have to respect it. I think it's silly people think oh it's their culture, you have to be nice and understand when infact it's quite clear that there are limits to what we accept. If it was someone's culture to have human sacrifices, do you think we'd just stand around and go, oh we can't say anything, it's their culture to sacrifice someone before eating McDonalds.

We should be more straight forward with our no tolerance for bullshit agenda. But that would require us having leaders and we don't have any.

[Lilith]

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[Brasel]

Culture or no, the Middle East is fucked to all hell right now. Killing and terror are rampant in just about every country in the region. Unfortunately I don't think theres much we, as a country, can do about it. I mean, we're over here trying to train soldiers and police to keep the peace and make it a better place, but if anything, its just provoking the insurgency and other hate mongers even more. It sucks that women are treated like dirt here, and I don't like it one bit, but there isn't anything I can do about it. I know that I said that I can't say if its right or wrong because its not my culture, but I do think that its wrong in my point of view, but as far these people are concerned, they're right, and there isn't anything we can do to convince them otherwise. They are a very stubborn people and the last thing they want is advice on their "culture" from Americans/Christians.