.
{Update2}
Ask broke the good news coming out of Norway – here.
BREAKING NEWS:
Norwegian woman in Dubai sex case is pardoned
{Update1}
It appears Al Mana Interiors kept its own interest as first priority. A terrible shameful act, they should have provided Ms. Dalelv with independent legal counsel. Make sure to always be in a position to control your own life, no matter what. Ms. Dalelv added one mistake on top of another. Unless the media provides more attention to this case, Ms. Dalelv will do jail time in Dubai IMHO.
PS Al Mana Interiors has deleted it’s Facebook page in last 24 hours! Here is the link to Al Mana Fashions.
Thanks to Cicero for his insightful comment from Dubai, UAE and to ask for the Norwegian political take.
“Janet Jackson’s husband fires woman for reporting rape from colleague” – Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana
If one doesn’t know the local customs and/or legal system, don’t go it alone when traveling or staying in the United Arab Emirates. Their laws are based on interpretation of Sharia and are very harsh on women and disadvantageous to all foreigners staying and working in the country. I can speak from personal experience (18 years ago) and it appears little has changed for the better. When you have a conflict with a local, only as last resort enter the legal system because as a foreigner you do not have any legal status to win a case! This Norwegian woman was raped by a colleague (local man?) during a night out and was warned by clerks at the hotel whether she was sure to call the police. She ended up being charged for adultery, use of alcohol and faces a jail sentence. Her employer Al Mana Interiors has terminated her employment.
A 24-year-old Norwegian woman has been sentenced to a year and four months in prison – original NRK Norway
(NRK Norway) – Hani El Korek, spokesman for Al Mana Interiors. In a press release, he writes about why the firm deprived Marte Deborah Dalelven of her job after she reported a colleague for rape in Dubai.
The 24-year-old woman was sentenced to 16 months in prison for having sex outside of marriage, to have drunk alcohol and to have made a false statement to police.
When Dalselv was jailed in Dubai the company did not notify her family. Her stepfather, Torgeir Furesund, has told NRK that he was little impressed with the way they handled the matter.
Great concern
The case has aroused strong reactions and commitment both in Norway and internationally. People use social media to say what they think about the treatment of Dalelven and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that the verdict against her is completely unacceptable.
On Saturday the Liberal leader Trine Skei Grande said that she believes the State Department must consider whether Dubai is a country that is safe for women to travel.
Human rights activist in the Emirates Rori Donaghy has stated that Dalelven has a good chance to get out of Dubai, if Norwegian authorities put pressure on the right people. Follow Rori Donaghy on twitter.
London-bred Wissam’s interest in fashion and his Al Mana Luxury Enterprise.
Continued below the fold …
Meanwhile, her former employer Al Mana Interiors has released a statement expressing sympathy with Ms Dalelv’s situation and explaining the circumstances of her dismissal. The firm is owned by billionaire Wissam Al Mana, pop star Janet Jackson’s husband.
For us in the Gulf, especially for those in Qatar, Al Mana is already a household name. With interests in every thing from car rentals to steel and oil and gas to engineering, the company, run by Wissam and his two brothers is one of Qatar’s oldest and largest business entities.
But it’s the London-bred Wissam’s interest in fashion – his Al Mana Luxury owns the franchises of everything from Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, Dior Homme and Marc Jacobs in Qatar and Saks Fifth Avenue in Dubai – that led him to a certain Miss Jackson.
Statement on Marte Dalelv by Al Mana Interiors, W.L.L. Spokesperson Hani El Korek
DOHA, Qatar, July 20, 2013 CNW – Hani El Korek, spokesperson for Al Mana Interiors W.L.L., today released the following statement:
“We are sympathetic to Marte Dalelv during this very difficult situation. Al Mana Interiors has repeatedly offered Marte support and company representatives were by her side throughout the initial investigation and police interviews, and spent days at both the police station and the prosecutor’s office to help win her release.
Company representatives have been supportive and in communication with Marte throughout her ordeal. Only when Ms. Dalelv declined to have positive and constructive discussions about her employment status, and ceased communication with her employer, was the company forced to end our relationship with her.”
.
Coverage by the international media …
.
Can American Exceptionalism survive the rise of the Corporate/Oligarchy Hegemon?
I made some comments in a diary at the GOS. Hereby repeated:
She was fired from the company she worked for in Qatar. The company is owned by Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana, Janet Jackson’s husband.
Janet Jackson’s husband is accused of firing female employee after she reported being raped and was then thrown in prison on Dubai business trip
The attorney general of Dubai has called her for a meeting tomorrow (Monday) local time. There is some optimism that a solution may be found.
Norwegian source:
Marte Dalelv møter statsadvokaten i Dubai
Further (same link)
Not to defend the rather regressive legal system here, Ms. Dalelv’s case has more to it than most media are indicating. The conviction appears to be based on conflicting statements given to the police- at one point Ms. Dalelv stated that the encounter was consensual (having taken unbelievably bad advice from her employer, who was likely trying to protect her more senior male co worker.) http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/jailed-woman-admits-she-initially-told-authorities-sex-was-c
onsensual-1.1211497
Hence her convictions also included one for making false statements. From the above it appears that she will be, hopefully, released as part of a political settlement. But the take-away from this is one must be extremely cautious in dealing with the police, and under no circumstances give conflicting statements. If victimized in any foreign juristiction, for any crime- it is advisable to get local counsel before making any police report.
While there is tremendous room for improvement in the laws of the UAE, if a similar situation occurred in the USA, Ms. Dalelv would not have faced criminal charges, but the conflicting statements would make it very unlikely that a prosecution of her attacker would occur and would have left her open to a civil action for slander/libel.
The real villain here is her employer, who was more than willing to throw her to the lions- an attitude very common, not just towards women but towards all expatriate labor.
.
“The Norwegian, who lived and worked as an interior designer in Qatar, was on a business trip to Dubai in March. Having gone out for drinks with her colleagues, she says one of her co-workers, an Arab man, raped her that same evening.”
Thanks from your insight from Dubai! Is it known what nationality the Arab colleague has? Is he Qatari or an Emirati. It is so well known Western women should keep their distance to Arab men in these Middle-Eastern states. It’s even mentioned as a warning on the website of the US Embassy in Dubai. Qatar is a safe haven compared to the Emirates on women rights and its legal system. The UAE is known to be a police state and when on a visit foreigners should comply with local customs and regulations in a strict manner. It’s shameful for the Al Mana Interiors company to have acted in this way to Ms. Dalelv’s detriment. Is the name of her rapist known or is this kept secret in this court case? What is his background as often the senior employees are locals with a high profile in royalty or political establishment. Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana belongs the elite or one wouldn’t be so succesful in this exclusive business.
On an aside, when Ms. Dalelv travels from Qatar to Dubai on a business trip, what are the visa rules and does she need a sponsor who is responsible for her and takes possession of her passport during her stay in Dubai?
When I traveled to Dubai 18 years ago, it was to free someone from jail who got himself in a business dispute with a local. We had 30 days to get the case resolved and get possession of his passport in order for him to leave the police state of Dubai. We beat the odds and made it happen. However, we kept all our cards close to the chest and in no way got involved with his sponsor who we suspected played a double role in his own interest. The visa we obtained through the luxury hotel where we stayed. The police observation of our whereabouts was total! The hotel room was bugged so we conversed by exchange of written notes, quite an adventure.
It appears Al Mana kept its own interest as first priority. A terrible shameful act, they should have provided her with independent legal counsel. Make sure to always be in a position to control your own life, no matter what. Ms. Dalelv added one mistake on top of another. Unless the media provides more attention to this case, Ms. Dalelv will do jail time in Dubai IMHO.
PS It appears Al Mana Interiors has deleted it’s Facebook page in last 24 hours! Here is the link to Al Mana Fashions.
It’s never “more complex” until the self-interest and discarding of morals/ethics to preserve business profits is scrutinized. I hope the backlash will cost the Al Manas millions in profits. See also my new comment.
Just guessing from context, but the co worker/rapist was likely not a Qatari or Emirati national, but an Arab national from one of the more populous countries that supplies the region with professionals (the attendance at a conference/trade event, staying in the same hotel when an owner or high level person would have been at a super deluxe).
As to the treatment of women, I’d say Qatar and the UAE are about the same, although there are less opportunities to get into headaches in Qatar due to the more sedate nature of the city. The root of the problem are cultural differences where a woman who acts independently is seen as being sexually aggressive/available and accepting a drink or going somewhere private is seen as consent. It is very likely that the police and employer in the case saw the man as a victim- she let him into her room and they need no more information to beleive there was consent.
As for visa rules, sponsorship is not required for temporary business travel between GCC states (but it is required to varying degrees for residential/employment visas) so she would have almost certainly had custody of her own passport. While it is against the law to take an employee’s passport it is a distressingly common practice in the UAE. Qatari employer are less likely to do this, but only because a more sophistical use of IT by immigration control assures one can not leave the country without prior approval from one’s employer (if there on a work visa.)
Thankfully the pardon from the Shaikh has spared Ms. Dalelv any further horror and is an expected outcome.
.
.
Good for you from Qatar for visiting Booman’s website and reading article about the Norwegian business woman trapped
in a Dubai jail with no thanks to Qatari billionaire Wissam al Mana.
I do hope political pressure will force Dubai prosecutor to release Ms. Dalelv and let her travel to her home country Norway!
Google maps Souq Waqif Al Souq St. in Doha, Qatar and info Wikipedia Souq Waqif.
.
A mobile or tablet?
The previous Qatari visitor googled the phrase: “al mana fashion rape”. Thus this combination is made in Doha, Qatar!
by the Emir.
Dubai ruler pardons Marte Dalelv, who was convicted after she reported rape
Thanks for the terribly good news from Norway! A job well done by the Foreign Ministry.
Awesome! I am sure that she will be happy to get out of there.
.
.
Small consolation, but it would appear she has a very good wrongful termination claim, and possibly a libel claim as well, under Qatari labor law. Unfortunately awards are capped at a rather low amount, but surprisingly the courts and Labor authorities are quite strict about wrongful termination.
.
.
Facebook page – Release Marte Deborah Dalelv
Her own Facebook page – cached version.
Får jeg enda en Farmville invitasjon, brenner jeg ned farmen din!!!, If we reach 500.000, Stephenie Meyer will write the FIFTH Twilight book!, Lillerarehode.blogg.no, Eivind’s world, Wind in the Willows, Photographer Marthe Isabelle, NOAH – for animal rights, Deny fur now HOME to Narvik?, Photographer Madeleine Pedersen Berg, ASOS, Sendai Tsunami through Western eyes, Gamme.no – Adventure – travel – Quests, Kremmerhuset Ting & Sånt, Al Mana Interiors, KILROY Norway