REPORT: Dubai pardons woman at center of rape dispute

A Norwegian woman at the center of a Dubai rape claim dispute said she has been pardoned and is free to leave the country.    

Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, told The Associated Press she was given back her passport Sunday by the public prosecutor's office and that her 16-month sentence for having sex outside marriage has been dropped.            

Dalelv claimed she was raped in March by a co-worker, but she was charged with the sex offense after going to police in Dubai in a case that highlighted the clash between the city's Western-friendly atmosphere and its Islamic-based legal codes.                  

The news has dominated the front pages in Norway and raised questions about the judicial system in the Gulf state, which lures large numbers of expatriates and tourists with a Western lifestyle.         

The sentencing of the Norwegian interior designer last week stirred outrage in the West since she was jailed in Dubai for illicit sex after she reported being raped.          

In the United Arab Emirates, as in some other countries using Islamic law, a rape conviction can require either a confession or the testimony of four adult male witnesses.         

Dubai promotes itself as a resort destination and a base for international business. Its hotels have licensed nightclubs, bars and restaurants that serve alcohol openly.              

But rarely-enforced laws actually define it as illegal for residents to drink without a special license that few obtain.                   

Possessing alcohol outside a licensed bar or being drunk in public are offenses, even if the alcohol was bought legally. Such laws can be used to prosecute visitors who are involved in accidents or report crimes.        


REUTERS/AP


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