You’ve got to be kidding me.
A Mogadishu court in Somalia handed down a one-year prison sentence to a woman who was allegedly raped by a soldier and the journalist who interviewed her about the ordeal.
DETAILS: Justice In India: Delhi Rape Trial Starts Today, 5 Men Face The Death Penalty!
The judges, according to the Associated Press, decided that the woman falsely claimed she was raped, a claim they say was an insult to the government.
The alleged rape victim was charged with insulting a government body, inducing false evidence, simulating a criminal offense and making a false accusation. Freelance journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur was charged with insulting a government body and inducing the woman to give false evidence. Three others charged in the case, including the woman’s husband, were acquitted Tuesday.
According to the court’s top official, the judges based their decision on medical evidence that the woman was not raped.
DETAILS: NEGATIVE! Plea To Move India Rape Trial Out Of New Delhi Denied!
Rape is reported to be rampant in the area of Mogadishu, where thousands of people who fled last year’s famine live in poorly protected camps. Government troops are often responsible and blamed for the crimes.
News of the prison sentence may result in fewer victims of sexual assault coming forward to report attacks in conservative Somalia, rights groups fear.
“The court’s decision to convict an alleged rape victim and journalist who interviewed her is a terrible miscarriage of justice and sends a chilling signal to victims of sexual assault in Somalia,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The case was built on groundless charges and serious due process violations and should have been thrown out. The government should swiftly move to exonerate and release the defendants.”
Another sad case of violence against women around the world. What do you think about the woman’s sentence?
SOURCE: Associated Press
