A Saudi court sentenced a woman who had been 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.
In its decision Wednesday, the Qatif General Court also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the 19-year-old woman.
According to Arab News, the court said the woman's punishment was increased because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."
She had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicting her of violating Saudi's rigid laws on segregation of the sexes.
Under Saudi Arabia's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men unless they are male relatives.
The initial sentences for the men convicted of the gang rape ranged from 10 months to five years in prison. Their new sentences range from two to nine years, the paper said.
The attack took place in 2006. It occurred as she tried to retrieve her picture from a male high school student she used to know. While in the car with the student, two men got into the vehicle and drove them to a secluded area. She said she was raped there by seven men, three of whom also attacked her friend.
The case brings up the disparency in Saudi Arabia's legal system, in which judges are given full discretion, which can lead to very different sentencing practices. For instance, a rapist can receive little to no time in jail, or be sentenced to life.
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