A Qatari court convicted a Dutch woman of adultery after she reported to Qatari police that she had been drugged and raped, AFP reported.
The 22-year-old woman, who was visiting Doha on holiday, said her drink was spiked at a hotel in the Qatari capital and that she woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar apartment with no recollection of the previous night.
The alleged assailant, a Syrian national, denied he raped the Dutch tourist and said that the sex was consensual and further alleged that she had requested money from him. However, as “illicit sex” is considered a serious crime in Qatar, a conservative country, he has been sentenced to 100 lashes for the illicit sex and another 40 for consuming alcohol. He will not serve any jail time and will be deported upon the completion of his punishment.
The Dutch woman, meanwhile, was fined 3,000 Qatari riyals (USD 800) and will also be deported from Qatar once she pays the fine.
Yvette Burghgraef-van Eechoud, the Dutch ambassador to Qatar, said that the embassy will help Laura leave the Gulf country as quickly as possible.
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