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Below is a letter written by the mother of the French boy who was gang raped in 2007 and as per status quo, HE was charged with a crime. The case was solved with a $4 million settlement and the government has promised reforms.
As of October 2008, those reforms have still not been initiated or even publicly discussed.
Paris, 4 January 2008 The Dubai Court has heard the evidence in the rape case in which my son Alexandre Robert was the victim, and it has returned a verdict of guilty for two of the defendants. They have each been sentenced to fifteen (15) years in prison. I would have preferred to see a heavier sentence imposed on the defendant who was infected with HIV, but the Dubai Public Prosecutor has now filed an appeal meaning that Dubai criminal law has served justice in this case The minor defendant will be judged by a juvenile court in the next month but he already pled guilty and has sent his regrets and apologies to Alexandre. Any kind of rape is an horrible tragedy and causes severe emotional short and long-term trauma to the victim, like Alexandre, and it can threat the victim’s life. Still, under a fair criminal justice system, those who commit rape should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and in that regard, justice has occurred for Alexandre in Dubai. Alexandre and myself are grateful that those who raped him have been held responsible for such criminal acts. I am pleased to be able to tell you, all around the world, that Dubai is committed to the enforcement of its rule of law in a fair and just manner.
The Government of Dubai, through its spokesperson in this case, Dr. Habib Al Mulla, has said in a interview to the French press agency AFP, that they will favourably consider the establishment of a rape victim care programme. They have already received Professor Luc Montagn, the French Scientist who discover the Aids virus, in order to understood the importance of immediate tri-therapy in rape cases and the way to implement it. The Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates, through the Under Secretary of the Health Ministery, M. Abdul Ghaffar al-Ghafour, has made a public statement on 12 December 2007 that there were 734 cases of Aids declared in UAE, with 35 new cases in 2007. In his statement, he said that the Emirati Government will implement a five-year plan of action with awareness campaigns in order to fight the HIV virus. I consider my demands for positive redress of the situation, to the UAE, have been met. I have therefore withdrawn the civil cases filed in Dubai, Paris and Geneva respectively. For all these reasons, I will now close down this website which was established to raise the public and media attention of this case. Alexandre and myself would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you. Your support, your help and your warmest message give Alexandre the courage to fight in order to forget one day this traumatic matter. We are really proud of you. By your voice, you give us the proof that World can be better if we just try to make it...- Varonique & Alexandre
UPDATE - GULF NEWS 25 MARCH 2008
Dubai: Two Emiratis serving 15-year jail terms for kidnapping and having forceful sex with a French boy, has pleaded not guilty and are seeking leniency before Dubai's highest court. In their appeal to the Dubai Court of Cassation, the two accused, I.M., 18, and A.K., 35, denied their charges and asked the court to grant them clemency. A.K.'s medical reports confirmed he has Aids and Hepatitis. Their lawyer Saeed Al Ghailani, of Al Ghailani Advocates and Legal Consultants, handed the appeal to the Court of Cassation as the duo were not present at Monday's hearing. In the appeal sheet, Al Ghailani again requested the judges to refer the case to experts to verify whether it is medically possible for the victim not to contract Hepatitis or Aids after the victim alleged that "each of the 20-minute intercourses occurred without a condom". The Court of Appeal earlier confirmed the defendants' 15-year jail sentence after Presiding Judge Eisa Al Sharif upheld the initial ruling. The Public Prosecution charged I.M., A.K. and their compatriot, I.S., 17, with deceiving and kidnapping the 15-year-old French-Swiss boy, and his friend, 16. They were charged with forcefully undressing the boy threatening him with a knife before having sex with him, while his friend was kept outside the vehicle. The boy's medical reports confirmed that he had not contracted Aids or Hepatitis. A Dubai Government spokesperson in this case, Dr Habib Al Mulla of Dr Habib Al Mulla and Co Advocates and Legal Consultants, told Gulf News earlier the initial and appeal sentences are in accordance with the practice in most countries in respect to similar crimes. The Appeal Court also upheld the referral of the victim's Dh15 million civil compensation claim to Dubai Civil Court.
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