DUBAI, Jan 27, 2008 (AFP) - An appeal hearing on Sunday in the case of two Emiratis convicted of raping a French-Swiss teenager was adjourned until February 3 because the defendants failed to appear in court, the boy's lawyer said.
"The judge adjourned the case until February 3 due to the absence of the defendants in court," Hussein al-Jaziri told AFP, without stating the reason for their absence.
The defence wants the 15-year jail sentences handed down to the two United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals on December 12 to be quashed. A third defendant is being tried in a juvenile court.
Prosecutors have demanded the maximum punishment, which could mean the death penalty.
The European teenager raped by the Emiratis, including an HIV positive assailant, has been found to be clear of the sexually transmittable disease, Jaziri said earlier this month.
The mother, Veronique Robert, has launched a media campaign to publicise the case and muster support for her demand that the UAE recognise homosexual rape in its legal system and set up adequate bodies to treat AIDS victims.
She has protested against the verdict, saying that "15 years is nothing for someone who knew he had AIDS".
Three men had offered the victim a lift from a Dubai mall on July 14, before driving into the desert where the teenager was raped while being threatened with a knife and billiard cue, according to the charges.
Defence lawyers claimed the victim had consented to sex and had lied to the Emirati authorities. The sex act was "in consent and not forced" on the teenager, they said.
The case was widely reported in the Western media, denting the liberal image of Dubai as a regional leisure and business hub.
080127
AF080140
Copyright ©AFP 2008. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2008. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.