Malaysia beer drink woman's caning sentence commuted Skip to main content

Malaysia beer drink woman's caning sentence commuted

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor in Pekan, Malaysia (3 March 2010)
Ms Kartika had not appealed against her sentence
A Malaysian woman sentenced to be caned for drinking beer has had her punishment commuted.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor had pleaded guilty to the offence under Malaysia's Islamic law and was to have received six strokes of a rattan cane.
But her family said religious officials had overturned the ruling, ordering her to carry out community service instead.
Ms Kartika's original sentence, which had been delayed several times, had provoked fierce debate.
While drinking alcohol is forbidden for Muslims, prosecutions are rare.
Ms Kartika's family was informed by letter that the sultan of Pahang state, where Ms Kartika was arrested for drinking beer in a beachfront hotel in December 2007, had overturned the ruling.

The religious leader has the power to rule on matters of Islamic law.
Kartika will go on with her life
Shukarno Mutalib
"The sultan has decided that the caning sentence will be substituted with a three-week community service at a children's home in Pahang from 2 April," Ms Kartika's father, Shukarnor Mutalib, told the AFP news agency.
"Kartika was expecting a caning, she is surprised by this development as she will be separated from her children for three weeks, but we respect the sultan's decision," he said.
"We will abide by the order. Kartika will go on with her life," he told the Associated Press news agency.
The commutation was welcomed by Malaysia's Bar Council, which had called caning "anachronistic and inconsistent with a compassionate society".
"Our view is that no one should be caned. We are against any form of corporal punishment," council Ragunath Kesavan told the AFP news agency.
The case had caused controversy in Malaysia, where Muslims are subject to Islamic law in personal matters, and attracted international criticism.
Ms Kartika, a mother of two, had not appealed against her sentence and had asked that her punishment be carried out in public.
When first convicted, she seemed set to become the first woman to be caned in Malaysia.
But in February, three women were caned at a prison near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, for having extra-marital sex, leading to fears Ms Kartika's punishment would also go ahead.

BBC NEWS
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Father of Kao Tao murders suspect requests chance to talk to his son

Migrant worker's father in Rakhine State says he wants to talk to his son. Suspect Win Zaw Htun, in red shirt, sits with suspect Zaw Lin, centre, during a police "re-enactment" of the murder of two British tourists on a beach on Koh Tao, Thailand October 3. Photo: AFP/Thai Police   The murder of two British tourists on a beach in Thailand has caught media attention from around the world. With the focus now on the two Myanmar migrant workers charged with murder, Mizzima talked by phone October 8 to U Tun Tun Hteik, the father of Win Zaw Htun, 21, one of the two suspects. The father lives in Kapi village, Kyaukphyu Township in Rakhine state. Britons Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were murdered on a beach on the Thai island of Kao Tao, 410 kilometres south of Bangkok on September 15. Controversy surrounds the efforts by the Thai authorities to solve the case, with the Thai govern...
Post a Comment
Read more