A British tourist who reported being gang raped by two men has been arrested in Dubai and charged for having “extramarital sex.”
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| Photo by Kamel Lebtahi / CC BY-ND 2.0 |
A 25-year-old UK woman was allegedly attacked and
gang-raped last month by two British men while on holiday in Dubai in the
United Arab Emirates. When she reported the attack to the police, the woman was
reportedly arrested, under the law which punishes “extramarital sex.” If
convicted, she could face the possibility of years behind bars, or could suffer
severe physical punishment, which would include flogging or stoning to death.
The story was reported by a UK-based organization, Detained in Dubai, which assists people who have been targeted by injustice in the
United Arab Emirates. According to the report, authorities confiscated the
unnamed woman’s passport before releasing her on an undisclosed payment of
bail. While the woman is now stuck in Dubai, her two alleged attackers have
reportedly flown back home to Birmingham in the U.K. Their names have been quoted by the Sun Newspaper as "Butlin and Harris."
Latest Reports The Sun reported that the alleged assailants "Butlin and… https://t.co/55IJRtcWbb— Detained in Dubai (@detainedindubai) November 17, 2016
Radha Stirling, the founder and director of Detained in Dubai, told the
media that the United Arab Emirates have a long history of punishing rape
victims, saying police there fail to recognize the difference between
consensual sex and violent rape. Stirling said that victims, like the woman in
question, go to the police for justice after they are raped, but end up being
prosecuted themselves, while the rapist goes free.
According to a report by RT News, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed that the charges have been made against the woman, and stated that the case deserves the “utmost concern.” Stirling added that the police in Dubai not only invalidate their victimization, but actually punish them. RT quotes the UK government’s foreign travel advice for the area, which stresses that any sex outside of marriage is illegal, stating that this is irrespective of the traveler’s own relationship with their partner back in the UK.
The advice goes on to say that in the UAE, it is against the law to share the same hotel room with a person of the opposite sex unless married or closely related to that person. It is also against the law to live together outside of marriage.
According to a report by RT News, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed that the charges have been made against the woman, and stated that the case deserves the “utmost concern.” Stirling added that the police in Dubai not only invalidate their victimization, but actually punish them. RT quotes the UK government’s foreign travel advice for the area, which stresses that any sex outside of marriage is illegal, stating that this is irrespective of the traveler’s own relationship with their partner back in the UK.
The advice goes on to say that in the UAE, it is against the law to share the same hotel room with a person of the opposite sex unless married or closely related to that person. It is also against the law to live together outside of marriage.
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