Dubai rape victim’s prison sentence for ‘sex outside marriage’ retracted

Norway was in shock after a Norweigan woman on a business trip to Dubai was sentenced to 16 months in prison after she was reportedly raped.

marte

by Jessica Anais Rach |
Published on

However she was today pardoned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, after the massive backlash that ensued.

Marte Deborah Dalelv was visiting the city in March, when she was allegedly raped by a co-worker.

However when the 24-year-old reported the crime to police, she herself was arrested.

Speaking out about the police interview, Dalelv claims she was asked:

'Are you sure you called the police because you just didn't like it?'

The police are then said to have confiscated her passport, before arresting her for having unlawful sex and the illegal consumption of alcohol.

Her alleged rapist was sentenced to 13 months- 3 months less than Dalelv.

Speaking to an American newspaper, the interior designer described asking a male colleague to escort her to her hotel room as she found the hotel large and confusing.

However she soon realised the room he had taken her to was not her own.

"He dragged me by my purse in, so I thought, 'OK, I just need to calm the situation down. I will finish my bottle of water, I will sit here and then I will excuse myself and say I feel fine,'" she explained.

The next memory the business woman has is of the assault, describing: "I woke up with my clothes off, sleeping on my belly, and he was raping me. I tried to get off, I tried to get him off, but he pushed me back down."

Marte's relief today as she is pardoned by Dubai's Sheikh
Marte's relief today as she is pardoned by Dubai's Sheikh

The following morning she fled to the hotel reception and called the police, despite doubts from the hotel staff, describing the move as a natural reaction.

A dozen male police officers proceeded to take statements from her and the accused attacker, before she was retained in custody for four days reportedly without explanation.

Dalelv was only released on bail when she managed to contact her parents, and a Norwegian consulate was sent to collect her from the prison- but her passport was not returned.

She then made a statement saying the sex was consensual, in the hope that the charges would be dropped.

However this resulted in her being charged with making a false statement, and she has since described the move as her biggest regret.

'Are you sure you called the police because you just didn't like it?'

A representative said Dalelv and the married Sudanese man she accused, have both been terminated by Al Mana Interiors- a company owned by Janet Jackson’s husband- for ‘drinking alcohol at a staff conference that resulted in trouble with the police’.

Last week Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide was quoted stating:

“Norway will continue to do what we can to support her in what is a very difficult situation. Our cooperation with the UAE is strong and good, but I conveyed to my colleague that we are worried that this difficult case may disturb our good relations if we do not reach a good solution in the near future."

Dalelv was scheduled to appear in court to begin appeal proceedings on 5 September, before today's developments.

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