Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Malaysia: Caning Deferred

From Sarah Dingle @ ABC Online:
Tomorrow is National Women's Day in Malaysia, but women's rights in the country are in disarray after a Muslim woman who drank a beer in public was sentenced to six strokes of the cane this week.

Part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was taken away to be whipped this morning, but the state government says the punishment was not carried out.

It is now saying the whipping was postponed because of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Unfortunately, as a Muslim in the eastern Malaysia State of Pahang this is a crime. Tried in a sharia court of law, Ms Kartika pleaded guilty.

"I want to talk about how very sad I am at that time. How they treat me like as what I did cannot be forgiven," she said.

She was fined $1,700 and sentenced to six strokes of the cane. The first woman to be found guilty under this law, and human rights groups say she is the only person, man or woman, to be sentenced to be whipped.

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