Norway Woman Sentenced in Dubai after Reporting Rape, Is Pardoned
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: August 19, 2013
WUNRN
NORWAY-DUBAI – NORWEGIAN WOMAN
SENTENCED AFTER REPORTING RAPE IN DUBAI IS “PARDONED” & FREED
Diplomatic pressures, international
and social media attention, and activists, helped prompt the release.
A Norwegian woman at the centre
of a Dubai rape claim dispute said Monday that officials have dropped her
16-month sentence for having sex outside marriage and she is free to leave the
country.
Marte Deborah Dalelv told The Associated Press she was
given back her passport Sunday by the public prosecutor’s office and that her
16-month sentence for having sex outside marriage has been dropped. (Kamran
Jebreili/Associated Press)
“I am very, very happy,” Marte Deborah Dalelv told The Associated
Press. “I am overjoyed.”
The sentence against the 24-year-old Dalelv last week stirred widespread
outrage in the West and highlighted the frequent clash between Dubai’s
Western-friendly image and its Islamic-based legal codes.
Dalelv claimed she was raped in March by a co-worker, but was charged with
having sex outside marriage after going to the police. Her decision to go
public about the sentence last week in a series of interviews appeared to put
pressure on authorities in Dubai and tarnish the city’s reputation as a
cosmopolitan hub, including possible fallout on its high-profile bid for the
2020 World Expo.
“I have my passport back. I am pardoned,” said Dalelv, who worked
for an interior design firm in Qatar and was in Dubai for a business meeting
when the alleged rape took place.
There was no immediate word from Dubai officials, including whether the
pardon was linked to traditions of clemency during the current Islamic holy
month of Ramadan.
It also was unclear whether authorities would keep the 13-month sentence
against Dalelv’s alleged attacker, identified as a 33-year-old Sudanese man who
was charged with consuming alcohol and sex outside marriage. While liquor is
widely available in Dubai hotels and restaurants, public intoxication can bring
serious charges.
“I have my life back,” said Dalelv. “This is a great
day.”
Dalelv plans to leave U.A.E.
In Norway, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide posted a Twitter message:
“Marte is released! Thanks to everyone who signed up to help.”
Barth Eide told the Norwegian news agency NTB that international media
attention and Norway’s diplomatic measures helped Dalelv, who was free on
appeal with her next court hearing scheduled for early September. Norway also
reminded the United Arab Emirates of obligations under UN accords to seriously
investigate claims of violence against women.
“The United Arab Emirates and Dubai is a rapidly changing society. This
decision won’t only affect Marte Dalelv, who can travel home now if she wishes
to, but also serve as a wake-up call regarding the legal situation in many
other countries,” Barth Eide was quoted as saying.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter: “Happy that
Marte has been pardoned and that she is a free woman again.”
Dalelv said she planned to leave the U.A.E. soon, but “first I have to
thank some very special people,” including local groups that supported
her. She had been staying at a Norwegian-linked aid centre.
The AP does not identify the names of alleged sexual assault victims, but
Dalelv went public voluntarily to talk to media.
Rights group urges changes to U.A.E. laws
In an interview with the AP last week, she recalled that she fled to the
hotel lobby and asked for the police to be called after the alleged attack. The
hotel staff asked if she was sure she wanted to involve the police, Dalelv
said.
“Of course I want to call the police,” she said. “That is the
natural reaction where I am from.”
She said she was held in custody for four days before being able to reach
her stepfather in Norway.
Norway’s foreign minister said “very high level” Norwegian
officials, including himself, had been in daily contact with counterparts in
the United Arab Emirates since the verdict against Dalelv.
“We have made very clear what we think about this verdict and what we
think about the fact that one is charged and sentenced when one starts out by
reporting alleged abuse,” Barth Eide said.
In London, a rights group monitoring U.A.E. affairs urged authorities to
change laws to “ensure victims are protected, feel comfortable reporting
crimes and are able to fairly pursue justice.”
“While we are pleased that Marte can now return home to Norway, her
pardon still suggests that she was somehow guilty of a crime,” said Rori
Donaghy, a spokesman for the Emirates Center for Human Rights. “Until laws
are reformed, victims of sexual violence in the U.A.E. will continue to suffer
in this way and we will likely see more cases such as this one.”
Categories: Releases
