Saudi Arabia’s king, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has overturned a punishment of 60 lashes given by a Saudi court to a 22 year old journalist, named Rozanna al-Yami. Ms. Yami was accused of violation of the Islamic law, as she had arranged a television show on a Lebanese channel, that apparently revolved a man’s active sex life. Although the charges against the young journalist had been dropped, yet the court sentenced her to 60 lashes to make an example of her and to ensure that, no one dares to venture in such territory again.

This is the second case of full pardon exercised by the Saudi royalty and yesterday’s acquittal is being credited to the high level international media attention that had been focused on the case. In November, 2007, King Abdullah had pardoned a rape victim who was sentenced to 90 lashes for being with an unknown man.

The episode of the talk show that created all the fuss, was about a divorced Saudi father who had been talking about his active sex life on the talk show known as, “Bold Red Line.” The repercussions of this episode led to the shut down of two offices of the channel in the country along with the arrest of Mazen Abdul-Jawad, the man who had been interviewed in the show. Along with Ms. Yami’s sentence, Abdul Jawad has also been convicted and sentenced to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes. Among others who have been convicted in this ‘crime’ are the three other participants who took the bold step of discussing their sex life on national television. These three men have been convicted and sentenced to two years in prison and 300 lashes each.

According to the defendants’ lawyer, Sulaiman al-Jumeii,

“They are being tried by a court that is not specialized in this issue and has not even summoned LBC or watched the raw film. Justice should not be divided as long as it is one case.”

Via Associated Press.