Government authorities in Dubai,
faced with a tourism boycott for jailing and convicting a young Norwegian woman who’d reported a rape,
chose to pardon and release her on Monday. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide had said over the weekend that the sensational case had reached “the highest political levels” and that he was optimistic the Norwegian government’s complaint had been heard.
Dalelv’s nightmare appeared to be over on Monday after intense diplomatic pressure from Norway and a wave of criticism against the Dubai authorities, both within Norway and, later, internationally as news of Dalelv’s conviction spread.
The very fact that Eide decided to challenge a court ruling in another country was in itself extraordinary. All countries are expected to have clear lines separating their legislative and judicial branches, and Eide noted that Norwegians or citizens of any country would likely not take kindly to another country demanding that a court ruling be overturned. In this case, however, Eide decided that the
Dubai court ruling constituted a clear infringement of international human rights and violated international conventions to which Dubai has committed itself, despite its practice of Sharia law.
Her case is not unique, though, and follows a string of similar incidents involving both tourists and foreign workers in Dubai and other Emirates. Dubai, officials have warned, can be a dangerous place for visitors accustomed to an entirely different set of social norms. Filipina maids, for example, have also been severely punished after being raped by their male bosses, and there are hopes such incidents will also be curtailed following the outcry over Dalelv’s case. Dubai regardless has received a heap of bad publicity over the Dalelv case, harmful for a place that has invested heavily in the tourism industry and promotes itself as a modern and international gathering spot.
http://www.newsinenglish.no/2013/07/...ally-set-free/