This piece from the Arabic daily Okaz, translated in Saudi Gazette, suggests that at least some Saudi courts ‘get it’. It’s nice to see a male being punished for his actions rather than blaming the woman. I’d certainly like to see more of it.

Blackmailer gets prison, 90 lashes
Adnan Shabrawi

JEDDAH – A lower court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to two months in prison and 90 lashes after he was found guilty of blackmailing a woman.

The woman reported the young man to the Commission of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for help. In cooperation with authorities, the man was arrested and tried.

The Court of Cassations, however, sent back to the lower court its earlier ruling of six months and 200 lashes for the young man in order for it to be reviewed for lesser punishment.

The Commission had earlier advised women vulnerable to the threat of blackmail to report their cases for help. Blackmail cases usually involve threats of going public with a woman’s private information and photos. – Okaz


September:02:2008 - 11:55 | Comments & Trackbacks (4) | Permalink
4 Responses to “Halting Saudi Blackmail”
  1. 1
    ratherdashing Said:
    September:02:2008 - 11:55 

    Was this the guy that had communicated by email/IM with the woman and then later photoshopped her head on a nude body?

    If so, then I’m glad he was caught. How will sharia address the damages to her privacy and reputation? Will those “civil” issues be resolved outside of the criminal complaint?

    / left in the dark again

  2. 2
    John Burgess Said:
    September:02:2008 - 11:55 

    Alas, I know no more about this than was reported. It might have been that case, but I think there was a more recent one, involving no PhotoShopping, where the guy simply threatened to release non-raunchy photos into the public domain. Of course, in the KSA, even showing her face can result in a woman being labeled a whore.

  3. 3
    Saudi in US Said:
    September:02:2008 - 11:55 

    I think this is a good move to start prosecuting men for these actions. I do not agree with the lashing part and prefer stiffer prison sentences. In my opinion making the case for women rights and freedoms run into a brick wall because of predatory practices like this. The more these issues are addressed firmly the better it is for the women causes.

  4. 4
    American Bedu Said:
    September:02:2008 - 11:55 

    Wow…this actually sounds like a positive muttawa experience for once!

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