A 19 year old woman was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison in Saudi Arabia, because she was in a car with men who gang raped her.  She was initially given 90 lashes, but her penalty was increased.  The cause for the increase in her sentence was that she sought help from the media.  The extra 110 lashes were a direct penalty for questioning the judicial system.

The male who was kidnapped alongside the woman faced similar penalties.  The man had allegedly been trying to blackmail the woman with a photo of hers when the two were abducted and the woman was raped.

However, the appeal did increase the punishment of the men who committed the crime from two years to nine years.  The attackers could have faced the death penalty.

Concurrently her lawyer, Abdulrahman al-Lahim, had his license revoked by the judiciary for appealing the case and approaching the media.  The woman’s lawyer is seeking to have his license reinstated and also seeking a reprieve from King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to clear the woman of all punishments.

For more information, please see:

CNN- Saudi lawyer in rape victim plea- 20 November 2007