An interesting addendum (from
Yahoo):
"It also defended the doubling of the sentence against her, insisting she was an "adulteress."
"The victim's husband denied that, stepping forward to defend his wife by calling into a Lebanese television program last week while it aired a debate on the case.
"I'm not lacking in manhood or an Arab man's honor that I would defend a cheating wife," if it were true, he said on the program, which did not give his name.
"I feel that in this catastrophe she exercised bad judgment by meeting this man, but how can you or anyone say she committed adultery?" he said and described the effect of the rape on the woman, including months where she didn't speak or eat and was physically ill.
His public defense reflected a rare openness that has been sparked by the controversy. Usually, families in the Arab world stay firmly silent about rape because of the shame connected to it."
In other words, this is not an "honor" sentence. To continue:
"In Saudi courts, rules of evidence are shaky, sometimes no lawyers are present, and the judges appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council have complete discretion, including on sentencing, except in cases where Sharia outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes.
"Al-Tariki [Saudi columnist Saleh Ibrahim al-Tariki] pointed to the discrepancies that result. In recent cases, he wrote, three teenagers were beheaded for attacking a gas station and injuring a worker while a government employee who received thousands of riyals as a bribe was only sentenced eight months in prison. A group of men received 12 years in prison for sexual harassment, compared to the shorter sentences for the Girl of Qatif rapists.
"Turning the criminal to a victim is the worst a judge can do," he said. "There are so many questions on the Saudis' minds and the Justice Ministry must answer them, so the average citizen won't lose his mind and think that justice and injustice are the same."
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