Dutch tourist allegedly raped in Qatar convicted of adultery

The woman claims she was raped after her drink was spiked at a high-end hotel bar in Doha

Doha is not the only place in the Gulf Arab states where women have been convicted of adultery having reported rape to the police (Getty)

A Dutch tourist has been convicted of adultery in Qatar, three months after reporting to police she had been raped in the country’s capital of Doha.

The 22-year-old woman was immediately detained after reporting the attack in mid-March and was held until her hearing, where she was given a one-year suspended sentence and reportedly fined 3,000 Qatari riyals (£564).

She has since been released to the care of the Dutch Embassy.

Her lawyer Brian Lokollo said the woman had been on holiday with a friend in March when the pair had visited a high-end hotel bar in Doha.

The woman believes someone “messed with her drink” while she was at the bar as her memory had become hazy. She later awoke in an unfamiliar apartment with her clothes torn, and realised she had been raped, Mr Lokollo said.

She had been charged with adultery for having sex outside of marriage, which is illegal in Qatar. The woman maintained that she was not guilty.

The defendant claimed he and the woman had had consensual sex and that she had asked for money. He was sentenced to 140 lashes; 100 for adultery and 40 for consuming alcohol, according to Sky News.

The woman’s release and sentence were confirmed by Dutch Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Daphne Kerremans. The Dutch Embassy in Doha declined to comment further.

Alcohol is available at high-end hotels in Qatar and duty-free shops at its massive international airport. However, residents must have permission from their employers to buy at the country's only government-run alcohol store.

Similar cases have occurred elsewhere in the Gulf Arab states.

In 2008, an Australian woman said she was jailed for eight months after reporting that she was gang-raped at a hotel in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2013, a Norwegian woman who reported being raped in Dubai received a 16-month sentence for having sex outside of marriage, though she was pardoned and allowed to leave the country.

Additional reporting by Associated Press