The Court of Cassation in Makkah Region recently upheld the decision of the District Court in Jeddah sentencing an Arab woman to 80 lashes for falsely accusing her former husband, whom she had divorced, of sexually abusing his three-year-old daughter. The woman had filed a complaint at the court against her former husband, whom she managed to divorce in what is known as Khul', accusing him of sexually abusing his daughter. She justified her accusation by saying there were some secretions and reddishness on the private parts of her daughter following her return from a visit to her father every Thursday. The woman said that this forced her to file a complaint with the police and then with the Prosecution General. However, the medical reports issued by hospitals proved that the girl's hymen was intact and that there were signs of bruises, scratches, bleeding or abnormal secretions. The divorced husband defended himself before the court saying that his former wife had made a false accusation whose objective was to deprive him of seeing his daughter. He explained that he has two children from another wife and that his mother and several sisters are also living with him under one roof. He demanded punishment for his former wife for tarnishing his reputation and accusing him of sexual deviance. He said his former wife had falsely accused him earlier and that she had been forced to sign a pledge that she would never harm him again. Also, her earlier accusations were not proved to be true according to the Shariah and medical check-ups but she still insisted on accusing him. In addition, the woman approached the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which in turn assigned the lawyer and legal adviser Abdul Aziz Saleh Nugali to study her case and plead for her with the authorities concerned. Nugali said his female client filed a lawsuit against her former husband due to her natural fear for her daughter, like any mother who wants to be reassured about her daughter's safety. Also, she swore an oath that she was not falsely accusing the defendant (her former husband). He also pointed out that there were psychological reports, which must be taken into consideration, that indicate that the little girl's behavior has become introverted and that she has developed a paranoid fear of men. Nugali said this necessitated intervention and psychological treatment. He demanded that the court reconsider the verdict of lashing his female client, as this would have a negative psychological and social effect on her.
