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Saudi king pardons rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah has pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes for being alone with a man who was not related to her, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday.

Saudi Justice Minister Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Sheik told al-Jazirah newspaper that the pardon does not mean the king doubted the kingdom's judges, but instead acted in the "interests of the people."

"The king always looks into alleviating the suffering of the citizens when he becomes sure that these verdicts will leave psychological effects on the convicted people, though he is convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair," al-Jazirah quoted al-Sheik as saying.

The victim in the case, known only as the "Girl of Qatif" after her hometown in eastern Saudi Arabia, was in a car with a man last year when they were attacked and raped by seven men.

She was initially sentenced in November last year to several months in prison and 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man with whom she was neither related nor married, a violation of the kingdom's strict segregation of the sexes. The woman, who was 19 at the time of the rape, has said she met her ex-boyfriend to retrieve a picture of herself from him because she had recently married.

The case sparked international outcry, especially after the court more than doubled the sentence last month to 200 lashes and six months in prison in response to her appeal.

The Justice Ministry has defended the sentence, saying the girl was having an illicit affair.

Al-Sheik told al-Jazirah that the king was the only one who could issue a pardon, and he did so despite the government's view that the Saudi legal system was "fair."
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