Gang Rapists Get Two Years In Jail!

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Gang Rapists Get Two Years in Jail! Feb 24, 2006
Justice is seriously lacking here. A gang of rapists get two years??? WTF is that? No doubt the nationalities came into play, and I doubt expat rapists would be given this light sentence. I feel for the victim, and this place really can be so unjust. :x

From 7 Days:

'I know what she's going through'
Friday, 24 February 2006


The gang rape of a young woman in Dubai, and two-year jail terms for the attackers, have sparked outrage. Here, another victim of gang rape recounts her tale of horror.

Sara trembles at the thought of driving through the desert and has a fear of wide open spaces. Today she’s only beginning to get her life back on track after being gang raped in a desert two years ago.

She says: “When I heard about the gang rape in Dubai, I felt physically sick and the memories of being attacked myself came flooding back. “I have this recurring nightmare of walking into a room and bumping into my attackers.

In my mind they’re standing there, smirking and staring at me. I know it sounds crazy, as I left my home country to start a new life, but my attackers are always haunting me.”

Sara (not her real name) speaks in a subdued voice. She moved to Dubai two years ago to start a new life after being raped in a remote region of another Gulf state after they lured her into the desert under the pretence of taking her to meet a potential employer.

Luckily when Sara, 22, moved to Dubai, she fell into safe hands. Late one night, Sara’s kind-hearted boss stumbled on her sobbing over her desk. Sara told her boss her story and is now being supported and helped through her trauma by staff at City of Hope, a Dubai-based women’s shelter.

But the story this week of a 23-year-old woman raped by six men – two of whom were acquitted on grounds of insufficient evidence – has touched a raw nerve in Sara.

She says: “I can remember the day of my attack as clearly as if it had been yesterday. I know it was naïve of me to get in a car with a man but he knew my brother. I only became suspicious when he stopped to pick up three other men.

“Ten minutes later they pulled up where the one sitting beside me covered my mouth and dragged me into some bushes were I was beaten and sexually assaulted.

“Helpless and entirely at my assailant’s mercy, I tried to appeal to his humanity, telling him I was a virgin. But he called me a whore and slapped my face.

“As the sexual assault began, I instinctively fought back, which enraged my attacker so much that he strangled me until I fell into a semi-conscious state. They took it in turns raping me.

“At the time, I thought this wasn’t really happening to me. It was a nightmare and I’d soon wake up. The last thing I remember was one of them slapping my face, calling me a fairy.

“I later woke up in a local hospital bed where I was repeatedly told how lucky I was to be alive. “At the time I did not know how trauma not only haunts the conscious and unconscious mind, but remains in every nerve in the body.

When “I heard about the girl gang raped in Dubai my heart started racing and I felt my skin crawling, just by thinking of her being rounded on by six beasts. “But it’s the unimaginably painful aftermath of violence that is the worst to come.

For the first several months after my attack, I frequently contemplated suicide. I felt my life had been ruined. I lost interest in life and myself. I would barely leave the home and when I did, I’d cower in the presence of men.

Even if I man even as much as glanced at me, I’d feel my skin crawl with disgust. “I was reluctant to tell anyone what had happened. I was motivated in part by shame and in part by secrecy and self-blame.

I didn’t want to bring dishonour to my family. “I also thought it was my fault for being so stupid to get in a man’s car.

“Over time, I put on weight and stopped caring for myself. I hated those men for ruining my life. But I hated them even more for getting away with their crime and fearing that they might strike again.

“When I turned 22 I couldn’t believe how old I felt. In knew something had to budge so when I met up with a friend who told me about a job in Dubai, I decided to take the chance.

“Having to strike out on my own, made me feel that I was reclaiming some sense of control over my life. But I also went through something of a breakdown. I couldn’t accept that my life was getting back on track again. I kept expecting something bad to happen.

“If someone asks me if I’m recovered, if they mean am I back to where I was before the attack, then the answer is no - “I can never be. I am not the same wide-eyed 20-year-old – I left her in the desert – I had to in order to survive.

But if recovery means dealing with my past and thinking of myself as a survivor not a victim – even if that means reliving the pain whenever I hear of other gang rape survivors – then, yes, then I’ve recovered.”

* SPEAK OUT

Sharla Musabih, founder of City of Hope, believes the gang rape of the British woman is only the tip of the iceberg. She says: “I know many Eastern women who never report that they’ve been raped. They keep it a secret for fear of shame.

“I have met prostitutes, who have been raped and abused. They, too, rarely go to the police, convinced that they might deserve the attack, they won’t be believed or that it’s an occupational hazzard.”

What happens when someone is raped? The person reacts with a grief and trauma. With this reaction comes fear, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbing, avoidance of any reminders of the traumatic event, depression, withdrawal and isolation, sadness and anger.

Email City of Hope at cityofhope18@gmail.com

jag
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Feb 24, 2006
I'm absolutely disgusted at reading this!! This kind of thing really tarnishes the image of Dubai - I feel terrible for the girl involved and angry at the inadequecy of a 2 year sentence!!
:evil:
G
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Feb 24, 2006
G wrote:I'm absolutely disgusted at reading this!! This kind of thing really tarnishes the image of Dubai - I feel terrible for the girl involved and angry at the inadequecy of a 2 year sentence!!
:evil:


Yea, its like they're saying, sure go ahead and gang rape, all you'll do is a measly two years.. if you are caught.. disgusting.
jag
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Feb 24, 2006
I thought murder and rape were punishable by execution under Sharia law?
onetickin
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Feb 25, 2006
Don't forget two of the guys got off because of lack of evidence.

Two years is a disgraceful sentence, it certainly won't make up for the lifetime of suffering the poor girl will go through.

They should have been castrated!

The womans laywer is taking it to the appeal court to push for a tougher sentence, they should get life!

It was a cowardly pre-meditated act with two gangs working together, what kind of sickos do that? Ones that don't belong in society - that's for sure.
Chocoholic
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Feb 25, 2006
Hey, no different to home. Let's face it paedophiles and rapists at home get out pretty quickly with "good behaviour"-it's definitely not right though.
GAB
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Feb 25, 2006
The thing that makes it really sad though GAB, is that Dubai and the UAE in general was always seen as a safe haven. But crime in all sectors is on the increase.

With such pathetic sentences what kind of message is it sending to people? That it's OK to commit this kind of crime. The stupid thing is, if it had been committed by expats, they would have thrown the book at them, kept them in prison for years then deported them. But it seems the same horrific crime doesn't warrant such a harsh punishment if you're of certain nationalities.
Chocoholic
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Feb 25, 2006
I agree with you.
GAB
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Feb 25, 2006
2 year term is not the posibble way maybe a much higher kind of sentence maybe life sentence
esthers
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Feb 25, 2006
Under Sharia law, rape is punishible by being whipped. Not killed, nor castrated as far as I know.

In Dubai, if you are non-Muslim you will not be tried under Sharia law.

Now, as for the sentence, it does seem lax. But to be the devil's advocate here, judges are where they are for a reason. If a judge beleives there to be insufficient evidence to support a case, he has to act upon it. Like it or not... :oops:
Liban
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Feb 25, 2006
anyone who rapes should be castrated,
fayz
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Feb 25, 2006
How are rapists treated by fellow in-mates here? Do they themselves get raped and abused like they do in American prisons?
XRW-147
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Feb 25, 2006
Very sad .... & this is what i hate in the new Dubai ... the Crime rate !

last week a Local girl got rapped & murdered by the framer who works in the house .... She was 18 & just got married.

The reason was the owner of the house shouted at the worker for doing something wrong (who was the young husband) so the guy took revenge ...

the worker walked in the house with a knife & did what he thought was right ...and ran away !

But the police arrested him after they found skin pieces under her nails !

Her husband hearing the news went into a comma & the girl never lived to see more of her honeymoon
U a E s A i N t
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Feb 25, 2006
XRW-147 wrote:How are rapists treated by fellow in-mates here? Do they themselves get raped and abused like they do in American prisons?


Not sure about locals but expats would probably be abused badly in prison... :shock:
jag
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Feb 25, 2006
i would not be suprised if a lot of rape cases are not genuine, but also a lot are not reported but if thats true they deserve a much more severe punishment i dont think torture is the answer, and im not sure about just being in jail but years of hard labour and community service under scrutiny of bodgaurds is more productive, rather then sitting round swapping crime stories and planning escapes.....yet again it also seems that that little "racism" raises its head again as they would probably want to make more of an example if it had have been expats, to show the world, but this story wouldnt make it past this forum really, so it dosnt matter as much....I guess when it does happen and it probably will we can only refer to the unfairness...Lets Hope Dubai keeps its safe name.
boostah
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Feb 25, 2006
I think rape shud be punishable by death penalty. A couple of years back a person who raped a girl was sentenced to be hanged till death. This was the first death sentence in India where death penalty was used. I hope they continue on it or atleast give them a life term.

But i am really surprised the culprits got away with just a two year sentence.

Cant the masses do something about it?

Cheers,

Jerry
Jeevan
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Feb 25, 2006
i would not be suprised if a lot of rape cases are not genuine


That is an odd comment.
GAB
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Feb 25, 2006
Yes it is, and certainly I could never imagine why anyone would make up something so horrific.

I suspect it's more the other way around, that most rapes or gang rapes go unreported for various reasons, like the shame some women from certain backgrounds feel it would bring to them or their family. This is truly tragic as any crime such as this needs to have those responsible punished.
Chocoholic
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Feb 26, 2006
it happens a lot, it is hard to believe, but some women unfortunatley use it as a tool to frame someone they may have a vendetta against, im sure they have ways of deciphering these things obviously the earlier reported the better, fisr of all you would see how distrought they are and secondly for any evidence, dna - clothing etc, but believe me it does happen..unfortunatley, it is hard to believe but a lot of that goes on.
boostah
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Feb 26, 2006
how can u possibly live a normal life, not just rape but gang-raped in a country which has ultra conservative laws of which i guess is not applicable to its own people.. a sad sad day for all expats indeed, so where do we go from here? can we do something about it or not?
ross392
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Feb 26, 2006
sadly I think there is little we can do about the sentence in this case. 2 years is all these guys are going to get.

We can keep this "top of mind" and as a cautionary tale. Seriously not in a "blame the victim" way we can all take note that this woman got into a car with a bunch of strangers. No matter how safe we may all feel with the low crime rate expats who come to the city should be warned to maintain their own safety... obviously the courts are not here for Us.
hetherjw
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Feb 27, 2006
it happens a lot, it is hard to believe, but some women unfortunatley use it as a tool to frame someone they may have a vendetta against, im sure they have ways of deciphering these things obviously the earlier reported the better, fisr of all you would see how distrought they are and secondly for any evidence, dna - clothing etc, but believe me it does happen..unfortunatley, it is hard to believe but a lot of that goes on.


BS :roll:
GAB
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Feb 27, 2006
Maybe the guys should serve 2 years, but also be punished by gang rape :) Then they would know how it feels to be violated and abused.

boostah, it is rare for women to cry wolf about rape. Unfortunately, there are always some men who bring up the fact that a tiny percentage of women make false claims of rape every time people discuss a rape incident.

Did some of you read the article in 7 Days about another woman who told her story of gang rape in a neighbouring country? She got into the car with only one guy who was a friend of her brother, and the reason she did so was to go and meet someone about a job opportunity. Then this guy stopped and picked up more of his friends, which did make her suspicious. Unfortunately, she didn't get out of the car and trusted her brother's friend. She ended up being raped and assaulted.

Men should be taught to be responsible for their own behaviour and they should face serious consequences when they commit violent crimes against women. I get tired of the excuses that a woman asks for it when she dresses in a way that attracts men, or has a history of sleeping with other men, or simply because she was in the presence of other men without female friends or male relatives around. Sexual assaults are about violence, dominance, and degredation - not about sexual gratification, so the men are the root problem, not the women.
kanelli
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Feb 27, 2006
Totally agree K!! :)
GAB
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Feb 27, 2006
Admin, can we please get rid of the "fun" filter whenever the word s.e.x or s.e.x.u.a.l is mentioned? Very annoying.
kanelli
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Feb 27, 2006
:lol: And I agree with you there too K!! I re-read my posts and they make even less sense than they normally do!! :lol: It is very disturbing!! :lol:
GAB
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Feb 27, 2006
ross392 wrote:how can u possibly live a normal life, not just rape but gang-raped in a country which has ultra conservative laws of which i guess is not applicable to its own people.. a sad sad day for all expats indeed, so where do we go from here? can we do something about it or not?


So contradicting ... when we apply the Sharia law you chant the word "NO HUMAN RIGHT"

When we apply and international law you call it Conservative !

And What's up with the Locals being attacked in this forum !

The laws are laws ... Local or expat ...

People who think this country is corrupt & are not happy with the rules and regulations or the system (Should go back where they came from instead of quoting "a sad sad day for all expats indeed, so where do we go from here? )

You will see good & bad where ever you go ?
U a E s A i N t
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Feb 27, 2006
Because UAESAINT the offenders in this case all happned to be locals and that's why everyone thinks they're being given a 'light' sentence. If it had be a gang of other nationalities, they would have been severely punished, that's what's so wring about the whole thing.
Chocoholic
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Feb 27, 2006
Chocoholic wrote:Because UAESAINT the offenders in this case all happned to be locals and that's why everyone thinks they're being given a 'light' sentence. If it had be a gang of other nationalities, they would have been severely punished, that's what's so wring about the whole thing.


I am sure that there was a strong reason for the Judge to give the Light sentence .. Not enough supporting Evidence/ Underage convicts / other Legal issues ....

If this happened to a local girl ... which was the case so many times .. this subject would not have come up in this forum !

When things go to court .. it depends how much your lawyer is charging you ... is he Good or Bad ... Are you Guilty or Not ... It all Depends how much you have to pay the lawyer $$$

I guess most of you Know what happened to O J Simpson .. and that was the United states the land of the free !

So before ppl point fingers at locals & the system in the UAE ... think & have a look around .. get a round trip ticket to another GCC country for a week ... come back and thank god you choose Dubai 8)
U a E s A i N t
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Feb 27, 2006
U a E s A i N t wrote:
Chocoholic wrote:Because UAESAINT the offenders in this case all happned to be locals and that's why everyone thinks they're being given a 'light' sentence. If it had be a gang of other nationalities, they would have been severely punished, that's what's so wring about the whole thing.


I am sure that there was a strong reason for the Judge to give the Light sentence .. Not enough supporting Evidence/ Underage convicts / other Legal issues ....

If this happened to a local girl ... which was the case so many times .. this subject would not have come up in this forum !

When things go to court .. it depends how much your lawyer is charging you ... is he Good or Bad ... Are you Guilty or Not ... It all Depends how much you have to pay the lawyer $$$

I guess most of you Know what happened to O J Simpson .. and that was the United states the land of the free !

So before ppl point fingers at locals & the system in the UAE ... think & have a look around .. get a round trip ticket to another GCC country for a week ... come back and thank god you choose Dubai 8)


UAESAINT I can't believe that you would say that the topic of a light sentence for rape wouldn't be brought up here if it was a local girl that was affected. That is really uncalled for and only shows your contempt for the expats posting here.
kanelli
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