Corpun file 21575

Arab News, Riyadh, 12 August 2009

Jail, lashes for making acid threat

Arab News

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JEDDAH: A general court here has sentenced a 23-year-old Yemeni expatriate to two months imprisonment and 60 lashes to be applied in three equal batches after he was found guilty of threatening a Saudi girl of 18 to burn her face with acid and to publish her photograph in the area where she lives if she continues to refuse to go out with him.

The court also reprimanded the girl and her family for entering into an illicit relationship before marriage. The court made her take a pledge never to enter into such relationships again.

The girl had complained to the police that a young Yemeni man, with whom she had an illegitimate relationship for three months, started to blackmail her through mobile messages threatening to publish her photo and burn her face.

The young man told the police that he was intending to marry her and he obtained her photo to show to his parents. He said his threats were only verbal and that he had no intention of harming her.

The police took the matter to the Investigation and Prosecution Commission to complete the list of charges against him prior to sending him to the court. The girl relinquished her personal rights and only demanded that the young man take a solemn pledge not to harass her again.

After considering the list of charges, the court issued a verdict that was accepted by both the girl and the young man.

Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved.

Corpun file 21574

Saudi Gazette, Jeddah, 17 August 2009

Jail and 300 lashes for 'Misyar' woman

By Saud Al-Barakati

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JEDDAH -- A District Court judge here Sunday sentenced a married woman to two years behind bars and 300 lashes for cheating several men separately. The woman, posing as unmarried, agreed with the men to have 'Misyar' marriage and would escape after receiving dowry.

A Misyar contract is a marriage contract where couples can live separately but get together regularly. It allows a man to avoid the cost of an expensive wedding, a large dowry, and providing a home.

A source in the court said the woman, married to an aged Saudi, looked for 'Misyar' husbands with the help of a female matchmaker and a 30-year-old man.

The female matchmaker and the man, the source said, would negotiate the 'Misyar' marriage on behalf of the sentenced woman.

The young man involved in the case was also sentenced to one year in jail and 150 lashes for his part in the cheating.

After concluding the dowry procedures and officiating the marriage, the "supposed" wife would disappear with the money.

The woman pleaded guilty to the charges against her. The woman was arrested after her aged husband filed a complaint with the police that his wife had relationships with unrelated men and intended to tie the nuptial knot through Misyar marriage.

The District Court has referred the verdict to the Court of Cassation for attestation.

Meanwhile, victims of the woman's deception are preparing to file a lawsuit demanding refund of their money paid to the woman in dowry. -- Okaz/SG

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Corpun file 21573

Arab News, Riyadh, 30 August 2009

Lashes for directing laser beams at plane

Arab News

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JEDDAH: A court here has sentenced two young Saudis to 240 lashes each after they were found guilty of directing a laser beam at a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane landing at King Abdul Aziz International Airport recently.

The two youths, who were caught at their villa close to the airport, admitted to directing a laser at the plane and opted not to appeal the verdict.

They were also handed lashes for harassing a woman using a laser. The woman in her 30s informed police that two young Saudi men were following her with a laser. Police arrested them and turned them over to the General Prosecution and Investigation Commission who took them to court following investigations.

Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved