Riyadh (AsiaNews) – Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, the lawyer who represents a rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail for being in a car with a male who was not a relative, faced a closed-door disciplinary hearing today.
A three-member panel consisting of two judges and a lawyer will review a complaint by a state prosecutor that accuses the 36-year-old Saudi lawyer and human rights activist, of “misrepresenting legal subjects through the media to confuse the judicial establishment’s image and thus harming the country,” this according to a copy of the summons obtained by Arab News.
Al-Lahem’s license was revoked on November 14 during the hearing about the case of the 20-year-old woman kidnapped and gang-raped. At the Qatif General Court Judge Saad Al-Mohanna, one of the three judges on the panel, confiscated Al-Lahem’s law license and told him that the judicial committee had decided to suspend him from the case.
Al-Lahem said he would not be present at today’s hearing. Arguing that the judge had no right to revoke his licence and that only a disciplinary committee can do that, Al-Lahem said he can assign another attorney to represent him.
The “Qatif Girl” case has caused outrage around the world, including some Muslim countries.
In recent days Saudi authorities have taken a hard line against her. The Saudi Ministry of Justice has defended the woman's punishment, declaring her to be an adulteress who “provoked the attack” because she was “indecently dressed.”
The foreign ministry announced that the case will be reviewed, also looking into the possibility of adultery, which for the "Qatif Girl" might theoretically mean the death penalty.
