Update (1:26 PM) A Norwegian woman sentenced to prison in Dubai after reporting that she was raped has been given a pardon and will be heading home soon, she said Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Marte Deborah Dalelv seemed relieved and happy as she confirmed the news — if still slightly bewildered by the swift turn of events.
“They told me that I would be pardoned and that they were going to give me my passport back, so I got it immediately,” she said.
Asked what happens next, Dalelv paused a moment before replying: “I get to go home.”
She added, “We want to make it as soon as possible.”
Monday (8:27 a.m.) Norwegian interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv has spoken out after being handed a 16-month prison sentence in Dubai — after she went to police to report she had been raped by a colleague.
The 24-year-old was convicted and sentenced on charges of having unlawful sex, making a false statement and illegal consumption of alcohol.
Her story is dominating the headlines in Norway, and has raised serious questions over the way women who allege sexual assault are treated in the United Arab Emirates.
Dalelv, who had been working at an interior design firm in Qatar since September 2011, told CNN on Saturday how a work trip to Dubai in March with three colleagues turned into a nightmare.
Source: CNN
