A court has granted bail to a mother of two who was sentenced in absentia for three months in jail after she was found alone with a stranger at a hotel room in Sharjah.
The defence lawyer said that even if the woman is in 'khulwa' - the situation when two unrelated members of the opposite sex are found alone in a closed place - the charge of 'beautifying the sin' charge did not apply for her client.
Earlier, the Sharjah Criminal Court charged the woman with the offence of 'beautifying the sin' as per the UAE Penal Code under the title, 'Crimes that affect religious beliefs and practices'.
Such offences, if committed in public, are punishable by a minimum one year in jail or a fine followed by deportation, for expats. If not in public, they can still bring a fine or jail sentence. The offence is unique to the UAE law. The incident happened on February 1, 2016.
The accused, who was married to UAE national, fell in tears and pleaded not guilty, when grilled by the presiding judge at the Sharjah Misdemeanor Court. She told before the court that she did not do anything wrong.
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