Saudi Arabia showed no mercy: a woman gave birth out of wedlock - and received a chilling punishment

A Kenyan domestic worker was sentenced in Saudi Arabia to 100 lashes after giving birth to a son out of wedlock. The mother, who has been trying to return to her homeland with her baby for over a year, fears the punishment: 'I don't think I can withstand those lashes.' The court also imposed a one-year deportation order. The article describes the legal proceedings, her lack of legal representation, and criticism that despite Saudi statements about reducing corporal punishment, the lashing sentence remains in effect for moral offenses. Muthoni, a mother of five, decided not to appeal for fear of prolonging her stay. The case fits into a broader picture of the employment conditions of African women in Saudi Arabia, as revealed in a New York Times investigation.

A Kenyan domestic worker was sentenced in Saudi Arabia to 100 lashes after giving birth to a son out of wedlock. The mother, who has been trying to return to her homeland with her baby for over a year, fears the punishment: 'I don't think I can withstand those lashes.' The court also imposed a one-year deportation order. The article describes the legal proceedings, her lack of legal representation, and criticism that despite Saudi statements about reducing corporal punishment, the lashing sentence remains in effect for moral offenses. Muthoni, a mother of five, decided not to appeal for fear of prolonging her stay. The case fits into a broader picture of the employment conditions of African women in Saudi Arabia, as revealed in a New York Times investigation.

Saudi Arabia showed no mercy: a woman gave birth out of wedlock - and received a chilling punishment