accused of raping woman in desert outside Abu Dhabi

Two Emiratis and two other Arab men are on trial in Abu Dhabi on charges of raping a woman in the desert, a charge refuted by the defence lawyer due to contradictions in the victim’s statement.

The unidentified woman had told police she was leaving a hotel in the capital at night when two Emiratis, including her friend, stopped and offered her a lift.

Instead of taking her home, they treated her roughly inside the car and forced her to come with them to a desert area outside the city.

There, they raped her and then invited two friends, from another Gulf country, to rape the woman.

During Tuesday’s court session, the female defence lawyer said the charges are unfounded on the grounds the woman first said she was raped by six men because she was drunk.

She said the woman had also said during hearings that she smoked and took off all her jewelry while she was being raped.