A 15-year-old girl who was sentenced to 100 lashes for engaging in premarital sex has had her punishment overturned by a Maldives court.
The High Court ruled on Wednesday that the girl, whose stepfather is on trial for raping her, had been wrongly convicted by a juvenile court of having premarital sex with another man.
Premarital sex is illegal in the Maldives, a popular tourist venue.
The case caused outrage among rights groups who welcomed the latest ruling.
“We are relieved that the girl will be spared this inhumane ‘punishment’ based on an outrageous conviction, which we hope has also been quashed,” said Polly Truscott, Amnesty International’s deputy Asia-Pacific director.
Source: BBC
