 Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons said she made an "innocent mistake" |
The Foreign Office has confirmed that charges have been laid against Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool.
She was arrested in Khartoum after allowing her class of primary school pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said he will summon the Sudanese ambassador "as a matter of urgency".
In a statement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "surprised and disappointed" at the charges.
A spokesman said the first step was to "understand the rationale behind the charge", something which would be discussed by Mr Miliband and the ambassador as soon as possible.
"We will consider our response in the light of that," he added.
Lawyers say Mrs Gibbons faces six months in jail, 40 lashes or a fine if convicted.
read the rest hereSource URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/
"Two hundred lashes for a woman who was raped, under any circumstances in even the most traditional country, is barbaric — period. But what also keeps tripping off my tongue is this phrase 'illegal mingling.' It seems to me that if the Middle East could use more of anything these days it is more mingling — if not between the sexes then at least between the sects."Source URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/
By Gary Duffy BBC News, Sao Paulo |
 Brazilian jails have a long history of violence and overcrowding |
It sometimes seems that there is little left to say about prisons and the system of detention in Brazil that still has the capacity to shock.
Even so, the report that a young woman, possibly as young as 15, was left to share a cell in a police station with around 20 men and is said to have been repeatedly sexually abused, does stand out for its sheer horror.
The fact that police officers involved then started to dispute her age, as if it mattered whether she was 15 or 20, does say something about the inability to grasp the scale of what had been done. (my emphasis)
The girl does not appear to have been helped by the involvement in the case of women officials at various levels.
Read the rest of the article here
See also: Brazil shock at woman's jail rape
Source URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/
Source URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/Most news stories follow the inverted pyramid structure, which I prefer to call the "ice-cream-cone" hierarchy - fresh, tasty news at the top, old, stale news at the bottom. Well, here's the "old news" at the very end of a recent CNN article on the woman who was gang raped in Saudi Arabia and sentenced to 200 lashes:
Source URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/Women are subject to numerous restrictions in Saudi Arabia, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and the need for a man's permission to travel or have surgery. Women are also not allowed to testify in court unless it is about a private matter that was not observed by a man, and they are not allowed to vote.
The Saudi government recently has taken some steps toward bettering the situation of women in the kingdom, including the establishment earlier this year of special courts to handle domestic abuse cases, adoption of a new labor law that addresses working women's rights, and creation of a human rights commission (my emphasis).
If you think rape victims are violated all over again when they go to the police and take their attackers to court, consider the fate of this woman, who had the bad luck to be gang-raped while "violating laws on segregation of the sexes" in Saudi Arabia:
Last November 13, the Victoria’s Angels got their honorary Award of Excellence star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the entry to the Kodak Theater. The star was presented by the Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary.
On Thursday, the Angels begin taping the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” at the Kodak that will be aired on December 4th on CBS.
This season's ultra-feminine tie neck blouse is the perfect foil for menswear-inspired trousers, vests and blazers, as well as pencil skirts.
Keep your blouse from looking dowdy by pairing it with stylish pieces that fit perfectly. Show a little skin above the tie if possible. For example you can pair this soft yellow blouse with pinstripe wool trousers and purple flats. A silver handbag and purple cocktail ring complete the look.
Source URL: http://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/2007/11/
