Saudi Woman Sentenced To Corporal Punishment of 300 Lashes And 18 Months In Jail
Posted: Saturday, March 06, 2010
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
Sometimes it almost seems the Saudi authorities desire to arouse international attention by their harsh penalties for what the world sees as very minor offenses, if they should be called offenses at all. There have been several incidents over the past year or two where public outrage has become so strong that the Saudi Prince lowered or even canceled the sentences of certain people, largely women.
According to the New York based Human Rights Watch, Salim filed several complaints in government offices and even in court during 2007, charging local officials with harassments. Then in January 2010, she was charged with making "spurious complaints without a male guardian", and sentenced to 300 lashes and eighteen months in jail.
I have written about these incidents before and again, I acknowledge that I do not know how severe their "lashes" are. But 300 of them, even if one were beaten with a rolled up handkerchief, it seems would become very uncomfortable. And if they are anything near like the ones given to men in Malaysia, it would kill or cripple one for life. The death penalty would be more merciful. I encourage you to see a video of a man sentenced to twenty strokes by the Malaysian police: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5ab_1172940415
I have had unconfirmed information that the lashes given women are very much lighter and more merciful than those beatings, but even so...300 lashes?
Here is a blurb from Amnesty International on www.amnesty.org which is of interest, I think:
Caning is mostly used as punishment for migrant labourers for immigration offences. Immigrants who are convicted of illegal entry are normally caned up to three times, although the country's Immigration Act allows for them to be caned up to six times.
In June 2009 the Malaysian government announced that they had sentenced 47,914 migrants to be caned for immigration offences since amendments to its Immigration Act came into force in 2002.
The AI group has appealed to Malaysia as well as Saudi Arabia, to rescind their rules of corporal punishment. It seems unlikely they will since they believe the Islamic Law requires it. However, the Saudi Prince has intervened in several cases. He is the only person who has the authority to reduce or rescind any court ordered sentence in Saudi Arabia.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)I just cannot imagine the severity of some of these punishments. Interesting article Joel.What also interests me, Linda, they claim that this is what the Koran authorizes...or teaches, yet the Saudi Prince can intervene.
These punishments are inhumaneAgreed, and this type offense should not be against the law in the first place. Thanks for the comment
Doing this for the reason they are doing it is uncivilized to say the least and to be more accurate--nuts. Good article topic.Thanks Steve, for reading my article and the good comment. I agree with it.
The western world will never ever comprehend this type of punishment. It is religion and they believe in it, even those receiving the lashes. That is why the two will never see "eye to eye" even while those who dream of one world continue ignoring fact.An excellent comment Anon and expressed well. Thank you for reading and this comment.
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