A British woman has been arrested in Dubai on “extra-marital sex” charges, after going to the police to report that she had been raped.
The 25-year-old, who’s identity has not been revealed, has been kept in the country after authorities took her passport.The woman was on holiday when the alleged incident occurred at the hands of two British men.
When she informed the police of what happened, she was arrested for breaking Emirati laws against “extra-marital sex”, while the men allegedly involved have returned home to the UK.
A UK based campaign group called Detained In Dubai, who describe themselves as the “international authority on UAE law”, are investing the women’s case.
Founder and director of the group, Radha Stirling, said, “Police regularly fail to differentiate between consensual intercourse and violent rape. Victims go to them expecting justice, and end up being prosecuted.
“The horrible case at hand shows that it is still not safe for victims to report these crimes to the police without the risk of suffering a double punishment.”
The group have held discussions with the women’s family and a family friend told The Sun newspaper that the women is “absolutely terrified.”
They added, “She went to the police as the victim of one of the worst ordeals imaginable, but she is being treated as the criminal.”
It will be hard for the women to prove she was raped, as Dubai’s interpretation of Sharia Law states that somebody can only been convicted of the crime if there is a “confession from the rapist or witness statements from four men.”