Rape victim’s sentence is doubled

A Saudi court sentenced a woman who was gang raped to six months in jail and 200 lashes, more than doubling her initial penalty for being in the car of a man who was not a relative, a newspaper reported.

The decision came in a case that sparked rare debate about the kingdom’s justice system when it surfaced more than a year ago. The woman, 19, was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for violating Saudi laws on segregation of the sexes.

The court also approximately doubled sentences for seven men convicted of raping the woman, the Arab News said on its website. The new sentences were reported to be two to nine years.

According to the paper, the court said the woman’s punishment was increased because of “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.”