Qatar: Raped Dutch woman convicted of having sex outside marriage

A 22-year old Dutch woman who told police in Qatar she had been raped, was convicted of having sex outside marriage, handed a suspended sentence and fined €730. She will also be deported.

The woman’s lawyer said her drink had been spiked at a Doha hotel in March and she had woken up in a stranger’s flat, where she realised she had been raped.

Her alleged attacker, who said the sex was consensual, was sentenced to 100 lashes for having sex outside marriage. The court ordered that the man be given a further 40 lashes for consuming alcohol.

The Dutch ambassador to Qatar, Yvette Burghgraef-van Eechoud, said after Monday’s court hearing that she expected the woman to leave Qatar within days.

Court officials said she would be deported once the fine was paid.

The woman was arrested by Qatari police immediately after reporting that she had been raped on the night of 15 March, as was the alleged assailant.

During a holiday in the emirate, she went out with a friend for drinks at a hotel where the sale of alcohol was permitted, according to her lawyer Brian Lokollo.

“She went dancing but when she returned to the table after the first sip of her drink, she realised someone had added something to her glass,” he said.

The woman did not feel very well and she later woke alone in an unfamiliar flat and “realised to her great horror that she had been raped”, Mr Lokollo added.

In such cases, the woman would have to prove there was “no voluntary actions” between her and the man for him to be charged with rape.

If they had even been seen walking together, the authorities would have doubts any sexual activity was non-consensual and would instead prosecute both for having sex outside marriage, known as “zina” under Islamic law.

According to media reports, dozens of people convicted of zina have been given flogging sentences since 2004, including at least 45 between 2009 and 2011.

The case of the Dutch woman raises further questions about how the Qatari authorities will deal with the thousands of Western tourists expected to travel to the country for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, many of whom may be unfamiliar with its laws.

In 2013, a Norwegian woman in the United Arab Emirates was given a 16-month prison sentence for perjury, extramarital sex and drinking alcohol after she told police she had been raped. She was later pardoned and allowed to return to Norway.