This Week in Syria, Deeply: Tuesday, 23 July 2013
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SJAC Weekly Update: Tuesday, 23 July 2013
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UAE Ruler Pardons Norwegian Rape Victim Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison in Dubai
Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Marte Deborah Dalelv, an interior designer from Norway who was given a 16 months in prison sentence after she reported to Dubai police that she was raped while in Dubai on business last March was granted a pardon by the United Arab Emirates’ prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The 24-year-old had been charged with the crimes of having extramarital sex, drinking alcohol, and perjury after she reported the attack. Her alleged attacker, who received a 13 months sentence, was also pardoned.
The pardon follows cries of outrage from the international community for the charges to be dropped. Her sentence has been condemned by the Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide who said that the court’s ruling “flies in the face of our notion of justice” and was “highly problematic from a human rights perspective.” He also criticized Dubai’s legal system, which allows the victims of rapes and other violent assaults to be punished for being victimized, saying, “[i]t seems very strange that a person who reports rape is sentenced for acts which in our part of the world is not even a crime.”
The 24-year old reported the incident to police, believing she would find help. Immediately following the alleged incident, Dalelv fled the scene and asked the hotel staff at the lobby desk to contact the police. Before contacting the police, the staff asked her if she was sure she wanted to involve the police in the situation. Dalelv reportedly said, “[o]f course I want to call the police,” in dealing with the incident because that was “the natural reaction” where she is from.
While the UAI attracts large numbers of western expatriates and tourists each year because of its modern cities and lifestyle, the state maintains little-publicised conservative laws regarding sexual activity and alcohol consumption. As a result, western women, like Dalelv, encounter legal trouble when reporting their rapes to police, believing they will be treated victims instead of being treated as criminals.
In January 2010, a British woman reported that she had been raped by an employee at a Dubai hotel was charged with public intoxication and having extramarital sexual intercourse. In December 2012, a British woman who reported being gang raped by three men in Dubai was found guilty of unlicensed alcohol consumption and received a fine. And in 2008, an Australian woman was convicted of having sex outside of marriage and of drinking alcohol, receiving an 11 month sentence, after she reported to police that she had been drugged and gang-raped. Emirati women fear going to police to report sexual violence for the same reasons. Three years ago, an 18-year-old Emirati woman who reported that she had been gang-raped by six men including a police officer was sentenced to a year in prison.
Human rights groups have criticized the Gulf State’s history for criminalizing the victims of rape; Human Rights Watch has called Dubai’s record on handling rape cases, which has led to a fear of reporting rape, “shameful.”
For more information, please see:
CNN – Dubai Ruler Pardons Norwegian Woman Convicted after She Reported Rape – July 22, 2013
Los Angeles Times – Norwegian Who Reported Rape in Dubai ‘Pardoned’ But Laws Still Target Victims – July 22, 2013
Al Jazeera – UAE Pardons and Frees Norwegian Rape Victim – July 22, 2013
Al Jazeera – Expat Appeals UAE Sentence after Rape Charge – July 19, 2013
BBC – Dubai Sentences Norwegian Woman Who Reported Rape – July 19, 2013
Huffington Post – Marte Deborah Dalelv, Alleged Norwegian Rape Victim, Sentenced To 16 Months Jail In Dubai For Sex Outside Of Marriage – July 19, 2013
USA Today – Norwegian Convicted over Rape Report Issues Gulf Caution – July 19, 2013
Six Men Sentenced to Life for Gang Rape in India
By Kevin M. Mathewson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
MADHYA PRADESH, India — A court in India has sentenced six men to life in prison as a result of the gang rape of a Swiss tourist on vacation in March of this year.
The 39 year old woman and her husband were attacked while camping in central Madhya Pradesh state. The husband was tied up as his wife was assaulted. The couple also alleged that the men had stolen their laptop, mobile phone, cameras and other articles after the assault. As such, in addition to life in prison, each of the six men was fined 20,000 rupees (337 dollars).
While all six were sentenced on Saturday, only four of the men were charged with rape. The remaining two were charged with robbery and assault after the victim testified they were “only present at the crime scene.”
Rajendra Tiwari, a public prosecutor, said the case presented a challenge as the victim could not recognize the accused because the attack took place at night.
“The prosecution proved its case using DNA tests as well as recovery of looted articles. All the accused have been convicted and we are satisfied with the judgment.” said Tiwari.
The men, aged between 22 and 30, were all from a village a short distance from the scene of the attack.
The rape of the Swiss woman came three months after the fatal gang rape of a 23 year old student on a bus in Delhi. The student suffered massive internal injuries as a result of the rape and died weeks later. Her attack brought protest about the treatment of women in India.
Weeks of demonstrations over the Delhi rape prompted India’s parliament to toughen sex offense laws. Subsequently, days after the Swiss tourist was assaulted, changes to the laws were passed, containing stricter punishment for rapists, including the death penalty.
In India one woman is raped every 20 minutes according to the National Crime Records Bureau. However, the crime is vastly under reported due to the social stigma associated with such attacks.
The first verdict in the Delhi case is expected on July 25.
For further information, please see:
Channel NewsAsia – India jails six for gang-rape of Swiss tourist – 21 July 2013
BBC News – India jails six over Swiss gang rape in Madhya Pradesh – 20 July 2013
Yahoo! News – India sentences to life 6 men in Swiss gang-rape case – 20 July 2013
The Voice of Russia – India court jails six men for life for Swiss tourist gang-rape – 20 July 2013
Panama Charges North Korean Freighter Crew With Arms Trafficking
By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
PANAMA CITY, Panama – Panamanian authorities have charged the crew members of a North Korean ship, the Chong Chon Gang, detained at the Panama Canal after it was found to be carrying weapons.
Police authorities found a large supply of outdated Soviet-era weapons systems, and two MIG fighter jets buried beneath 200,000 bags of Cuban brown sugar. The ship’s crew, armed with what officials called sticks, tried to fend off Panamanian marines investigating whether the vessel was carrying contraband. They forcefully resisted being boarded and sabotaged the ship’s cranes to make the search and cargo movement more difficult. The captain was also reported to have attempted suicide during the confrontation.
State prosecutor Javier Caraballo accused the 35 crew members of endangering public security by attempting to traffic undeclared weapons. Caraballo also reports that the weapons trafficking charges could result in sentences of up to six years if the crew members are tried and convicted. The crew was expected to remain in detention while the Panamanian authorities finished unloading the vessel, which could take days.
The 450-foot Chong Chon Gang had been awaiting permission to cross the canal for the voyage home after a visit to Cuba. The ship was impounded on July 14th, and on July 17th North Korea asked Panama to release the ship and its crew. A statement by the North Korean Foreign Ministry asserted that the ship had been transporting the Cuban weapons to North Korea for refurbishment under a legitimate contract. The North Korean statement also criticized Panama for using what it called the pretext of searching the vessel for narcotics and for Panama’s violent treatment of the crew.
The Cuban government admitted being behind the supply of weapons found on board the ship. They said the weapons were Soviet-era arms from Cuba headed for repair and upgrading in North Korea. The Cuban foreign ministry said the Chong Chon Gang was carrying two anti-aircraft missile batteries, nine missiles in parts and spares, two MiG-21bis fighter planes and 15 MiG engines.
Panama has requested that the United Nations Security Council investigate whether there has been a breach of the sanctions against North Korea. The United Nations sanctions prohibit the supply of arms to Pyongyang in the dispute over its controversial nuclear program.
Panama’s Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino said the ship and its cargo had broken Panamanian and international law. “This is not an official or military ship belonging to the North Korean government. It’s a commercial ship which wanted to pass through the Panama canal with a [cargo] declaration which failed to reflect what it was carrying, turning a blind eye to the fact that its cargo could be violating UN resolutions,” he said.
For more information please see:
Los Angeles Times – Panama charges ‘contentious’ North Korean crew with arms trafficking – 18 July 2013
BBC – Panama charges North Korea weapons ship’s crew – 18 July 2013
New York Times – Panama Charges North Korean Freighter Crew – 18 July 2013
La Prensa – El buque norcoreano transportaba un radar de control de tiro, según Jane’s – 17 July 2013