DUBAI — A British woman who says she was gang raped in Dubai was arrested for having illegal “extra-marital sex,” according to The Christian Post.
The woman, who was on vacation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October, said she was assaulted by two British men, according to online news source The Independent. But when she told Dubai police, she was arrested for breaking local laws against extra-marital sex.
“The UAE has a long history of penalizing rape victims,” said Radha Stirling, founder and director of Detained in Dubai, in a statement. “We have been involved with several cases in the past where this has happened, and we work with the lawyers and families and have campaigned to change attitudes in the police and judiciary. Recent cases … show that it is still not safe for victims to report these crimes to the police without the risk of suffering a double punishment.”
The organization said the woman, whose name is withheld, was released on bail, but she could face trial and punishments including jail time, flogging and even being stoned to death, according to the Post. The men face zero punishment.
“This is tremendously disturbing,” Stirling said. “Victims go to [police] expecting justice, and end up being prosecuted. They not only invalidate their victimization, they actually punish them for it.” (TAB)
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