Female Saudi Reporter Lashed for Sex Talk

(AP)  A Saudi court on Saturday sentenced a female journalist to 60 lashes after she had been charged with involvement in a TV show in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex.

Rozanna al-Yami, 22, is believed to be the first Saudi woman journalist to be given such a punishment, but there were conflicting accounts about how the court issued its verdict.

Al-Yami, who worked as a coordinator for the program but has denied working on the sex-show episode, told The Associated Press it was her understanding that the judge at the court in the western city of Jiddah dropped the charges against her. They included involvement in the preparation of the show and advertising the segment on the Internet.

But she said he still handed down the lashing sentence "as a deterrence."

"I am too frustrated and upset to appeal the sentence," said al-Yami.

Al-Yami refused to provide contact details for her lawyer to ask about the legal proceedings, including the basis in Islamic law for the punishment and whether the charges were really dropped.

Sulaiman al-Jumeii, the lawyer for the man who appeared in the TV show, said such "physical punishment is not an indication of innocence or a drop of charges."

"If the judge had dropped the charges, then why did he give her the 60 lashes?" he added.

Abdul-Rahman al-Hazza, the spokesman of the Ministry of Culture and Information, told the AP he had no details of the sentencing and could not comment on it.

In the program, which aired in July on the Lebanese LBC satellite channel, the man, Mazen Abdul-Jawad appears to describe an active sex life and shows sex toys that were blurred by the station. The same court sentenced Abdul-Jawad earlier this month to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes.

Al-Jumeii maintains his client was duped by the TV station and was unaware in many cases he was being recorded.

On Saturday, he told the AP that not trying al-Yami before a court specialized in media matters at the Ministry of Culture and Information was a violation of Saudi law.

"It is a precedent to try a journalist before a summary court for an issue that concerns the nature of his job," he said.

The case has scandalized this ultraconservative country where such public talk about sex is taboo and the sexes are strictly segregated.

The government moved swiftly in the wake of the case, shutting down LBC's two offices in the kingdom and arresting Abdul-Jawad, who works for the national airline.

Three other men who appeared on the show, "Bold Red Line," were also convicted of discussing sex publicly and sentenced to two years imprisonment and 300 lashes each.

[addict42]

The Saudis are the absolute worst of the worst.

[queenofclubs]

Good grief. Saudi Arabia needs to get into the 21st Century. Interesting how they think talking about sex is taboo, but they have no problems with being violent!

[noloyalisti]

I think we should invade and occupy Saudi Arabia don't you? I mean they have a brutal sheik who violates Christian values and human rights on a daily basis. And their oil fields are already developed. And their citizens did the 911 attacks if you are naive enough to believe the US government conspiracy theory. I think they need a good old does of American Shock and Awe, don't you?

[Iamthemango]

It's always the women who suffer the most under islamic law. Islam is a nasty, misogynistic belief system. When are the women going to wake up and reject this treatment?

[Overruled1]

I have to agree with most of the posts here, the Saudi Arabian religious run state is an enemy of democracy.
The only reason we as Americans have put up with these barbarians who disguise themselves as civil is the oil they sit on....which someday soon will come to a decisive end....And so will our patience. On that day I will remember the WTC.

On a side note, rumors of a soldier burning a koran caused a massive protest which an American flag was burned.
I have no sympathy for their beliefs as it seems too hypocritical for them to be displaying emotions over a burnt so called holy book, but we put up with the flag burning....which to me is holier than the koran or the bible. Both are full of lies and have been the tool which has created hateful policy.

On a personal note, damn the oil. They can have it. We do need to continue with alternative fuel research. We must also start the process of removing all gasoline engines from mass production vehicles asap.

[ShazmiAngels7]

by orinfagel October 25, 2009 10:15 AM EDT
Yes I can, Muslims are barbarians! The cut peoples' heads off and send children into the masses with suicide bombs. Guess that makes it pretty political!
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Yes you can't ,No we can't ...

The only barbarian the history books talks about is the Viking barbarians and its remnants like yourself...It also talks about the germanic tribes which were considered barbarians and the romans had to conquer them to become civilized and productive ...
Now your true barbarian ancestor owe a great deal of gratitudes to Islam for getting them out of the dark ages in the Eleventh century by setting up the first university in spain thus leading generation of dimwits like yourself to be able to read and write ...Your ignorance is your own fault not the fault of Islam per say learning the true nature of things is good for mind body and health misguided spirit....

[ShazmiAngels7]

by earth5661 October 25, 2009 2:02 AM EDT
Any excuse made by posters like Shaz are ridiculous.

Islam has never gone through a schisim or a reformation of any sort like every other religion in the world. The founding basic tenets are still in the Koran and if you read it you will find out how bi-polar it is.
One sentence is basically love thy neighbor and the next is slay or tax any non-believer or simply sharia law.

It amazes me you have one part of the world going to the future and space travel and the other still in the stone age hoping for 72 virgins.
---------------------------------

Fool how can Islam go through any reform when as a matter of fact their is no really Islamic world left ...Do you understand the meaning of the word Islam Earth worms ...It means submission to God your creator even a dimwit like you is created by him for reasons unknown to mankind...lololol

That bipolar koran also talks about the wackjob children of israel and it also talks about in detail about "Mary" the mother of Arab dude jesus"with a loyal donkey who was discovered by those viking barbarian remnants and declared him their God jesus christ ...unbelievable ignorance ...You must refering this stone age weren't you Earthy...

Lets talk about Torah the book of the jews which delusionally talks about that the Earth to be 6 thousand years old and that paedophile Abraham lived to be 800 years ...And thumping that filthy whaling wall brings you close to God yahway the lord of no way ...Now thats the real stone age ,Are you getting the gist of the true nature of things Earthy darthy ....

[orinfagel]

The headline says she was lashed. Does that mean she has already been lashed or is this just a CBS usual faux pas?

[ShazmiAngels7]

by sam-kiley October 25, 2009 5:47 AM EDT
by earth5661 October 25, 2009 1:55 AM EDT
Shaz,

Are you refering to the same Mohammad that had sex with a six year old ?


Are you refering to the same Mohammad who couldn't read or write ?

Are you refering to the same Mohammad who basically felt it was his duty to conquer with the sword and ask questions later ?
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YES?I am refering to the same mohummad who married a 40 years old woman as his first wife ,who was much older than him ...You must be refering to your own behaviour with 6years old's Earth worms or that paedophile Abraham who had 13 year old girl as his wife, and claim it as his daughter to hide the real facts from the Egyptian pharaohs...Oh I totally forgot about that slimebolts King david who cause the jews to thump that filthy thumping wall in the gay city of jerusalem...

[ellensmithee]

You Moslems are barbarians.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This is not a political article. Can't you morons stay on topic, or are your brains so very limited, you must default to the authomatic programming you've been given?
Grow up, you bunch of political addicts.

[orinfagel]

Yes I can, Muslims are barbarians! The cut peoples' heads off and send children into the masses with suicide bombs. Guess that makes it pretty political!