Tags: ML | Qatar | Netherlands | Rape Case

Diplomat: Qatar Frees Dutch Woman Held after Rape Report

Monday, 13 June 2016 05:27 AM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Dutch woman held in Qatar for nearly three months after telling police she had been raped there was released on Monday after receiving a one-year suspended prison sentence, a Dutch diplomat said.

The 22-year-old woman was in the care of the Dutch Embassy after a brief court hearing in Doha, the Qatari capital which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Her case has raised new questions ahead of the tournament, which likely will draw tens of thousands of Western tourists unfamiliar with the Islamic-based legal codes that govern the small peninsular nation.

It wasn't immediately clear what sentence was given to the man she accused of rape. Qatari officials repeatedly have declined to comment after her detention became public knowledge over the weekend.

The woman, on a vacation with a friend, went out for drinks at a hotel bar in the Qatari capital in mid-March, lawyer Brian Lokollo previously told The Associated Press. While at the bar, she believes someone "messed with her drink" and her memory became hazy, Lokollo said. She later awoke alone, her clothes torn and the victim of a rape, he said.

She was immediately detained after reporting the attack, Lokollo said. She previously appeared three times in court, he said.

A social media campaign has been launched to call for her release. The AP does not identify victims of sexual assault.

The woman faced an adultery charge for having sex out of wedlock. Her release and sentence were confirmed by Dutch Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Daphne Kerremans. The Dutch Embassy in Doha declined to comment further.

Alcohol is available at high-end hotels in Qatar and duty-free shops at its massive international airport. However, residents must have permission from their employers to buy at the country's only government-run liquor store. Sex out of wedlock is illegal.

Similar cases have occurred elsewhere in the Gulf Arab states.

In 2008, an Australian woman said she was jailed for eight months after reporting that she was gang-raped at a hotel in the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, a Norwegian woman who reported being raped in Dubai received a 16-month sentence for having sex outside of marriage, though she was pardoned and allowed to leave the country.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap .

His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jon-gambrell .

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


MiddleEast
A Dutch woman held in Qatar for nearly three months after telling police she had been raped there was released on Monday after receiving a one-year suspended prison sentence, a Dutch diplomat said.The 22-year-old woman was in the care of the Dutch Embassy after a brief...
ML,Qatar,Netherlands,Rape Case
389
2016-27-13
Monday, 13 June 2016 05:27 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
 

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved