Qatar Convicts Dutch Woman Who Reported Rape but Will Let Her Return Home

NY Times    A 22-year-old Dutch woman who was detained for three months in Qatar on suspicion of adultery after she reported being drugged and raped was given a one-year suspended sentence on Monday and will be allowed to return home, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

The woman, identified only as Laura and described as being from the Dutch city of Utrecht, was held and prosecuted on charges of adultery and alcohol consumption. She has been fined about 750 euros, or nearly $850, and will be sent back to the Netherlands, said Daphne Kerremans, a spokeswoman for the Dutch Foreign Ministr [...]

News reports said the man Laura accused of sexually assaulting her had also been detained and had told Qatari authorities that the sex was consensual. They said the man, who has not been formally identified, had been punished with 140 lashes for illegal sex acts and public drunkenness.

The woman’s lawyer, Brian Lokollo, told the Dutch news media that the woman had gone in March to a hotel in Doha where alcohol is permitted.

She felt unwell soon after taking the first sip of a drink and realized that something was wrong, he said. The next morning, she awoke in an unfamiliar apartment and realized that she had been raped.

After reporting the attack to the authorities in Qatar, Mr. Lokollo said, she was detained, according to The Associated Press.[...]