Corpun file 19037

India eNews, 25 March 2007

Imprisonment, lashes for run-away Saudi woman

From correspondents in Middle East

A Saudi court sentenced a 20-year-old Saudi woman to 6 months in prison at a foster house for girls for running away from her family, Saudi al-Watan newspaper reported Sunday.

The woman - who said she ran away due to the pressures she was facing at home - will also receive 60 lashes as punishment for the same offence, al-Watan added.

In Saudi Arabia, a responsible male guardian - either a close relative or her husband, must accompany every woman.

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