Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The Court of Appeals sentenced the father of Lama to 400 lashes and three-year imprisonment for domestic violence and child abuse, said Ministry of Justice spokesman Sheikh Mansour Al-Qafari. He said Lama's stepmother was sentenced to 150 lashes and 10 months in prison for not reporting her husband to the authorities and consenting to domestic violence and child abuse. The parents were found guilty by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. Al-Qafari said Lama used to live with her father and stepmother, who would hit her to discipline her. She recently died due to an undisclosed cause. The biological mother of the victim and ex-wife of the father filed a lawsuit against the father. Al-Qafari said Lama's biological mother wanted the death penalty for the father, but she dropped the case at the behest of lawyers. The Ministry of Justice spokesman said there have been many false accusations in social media regarding the case. He said Lama's death is not linked to domestic violence and child abuse. “The parents were convicted of abuse, not murder. The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution found no evidence linking the victim's death to the abuse she endured,” said Al-Qafari. He added that there have been accusations of sexual assault against the father in social media. The accusations are false and have no substantial evidence, said Al-Qafari.
