Saudi court convicts foreigners for drinking, dancing at party
A Saudi Arabian court has convicted and sentenced 20 foreigners to receive lashes and spend several months in prison for attending a party where alcoholic drinks were served and men and women danced, a Saudi newspaper reported on Sunday. The kingdoms religious police arrested 433 foreigners, including more than 240 women, for attending the impudent party in Jeddah, the state-guided newspaper Okaz reported. It did not identify the foreigners, give their nationalities or say when the party took place.
Judge Saud al-Boushi sentenced the 20 to three to four month in prison and ordered them to receive an unspecified number of lashes. They have the right to appeal, the newspaper said. The prosecutor general charged the 20 with drinking, arranging for impudent party, mixed dancing and shooting a video for the party, Okaz said. The newspaper said because of the large number of detainees, several judges were assigned to try them in groups. The rest of the detainees are awaiting trial.
Posted by: Fred 2007-02-05 |