US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday condemned the sentence of 200 lashes and six months in jail that the Qatif girl got last week after appealing her original sentence of 90 lashes for having been allegedly in illegal "seclusion" with an unrelated male. This despite the fact that she was also raped 14 times by seven men that same night.
Her former boyfriend, who was also raped, has declined to enter the latest appeal of the verdict that has now gone to the Court of Cassation in Riyadh, which is in effect the Supreme Court.
Hillary called on President Bush to call King Abdullah and have the sentence canceled. If only it were that easy! As most people know, the leader of country cannot interfere in judicial proceedings until all appeals have been exhausted. We should wait for the final verdict in this sad saga, and then petition the king for a pardon before either Qatif girl and her ex-boyfriend can be jailed or lashed.
To watch CNN's report of the Qatif girl case, click here. To read Lubna Hussein's opinion piece on the rape case click here: "A Slap in the Face of Justice."
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