Woman reported sexual assault in Qatar: Sentenced to seven years in prison and flogging

Paula Chiticata Mexican economist who worked for an organization World Cup QatarAnd the She was sentenced to 100 lashes and 7 years in prison. in that country after She denounces the sexual assault, while her abuser is acquitted.

The ruling was not carried out thanks to the fact that the economist, anthropologist and political scientist was able to leave Doha with the help of her employers and the NGO Human Rights Watch, but she cannot return to what she describes as. “dream job”.

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How was the attack on Paula Chiticat?

Paula Chiticat said that on June 6, 2021, while working for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organization responsible for the World Cup, She was raped by a Colombian man who entered her apartment at night and beat her.

I was sleeping and when I heard a noise in the kitchen, I went to check on him and see him. Panicked, I grabbed my cell phone and started calling the emergency number, while telling me he was giving me a surprise. Then he lunged at me and we struggled a little until he started hitting me hard. I remember ending up with bruises on my ribs, my back, my shoulder, and the entire left side of my body. I remained motionless for 10 minutes, and I couldn’t believe what had happened to me.”

Before leaving, the attacker hit her in the head again and shouted at her: “And don’t even think about telling anyone that I hit you.”

From plaintiff to defendant

Chitikat, who had already suffered from sexual abuse in her teens, decided to report the assault. “I told my mother, who is a co-worker, and documented everything with pictures in an effort to protect myself,” he wrote in a public letter titled A World That Seems to Hate Women. Thursday, February 8, on the portal of journalist Julio Astellero.

“The next day I got medical certificate I went to the police with the Mexican consul in Qatar. There, everything was in Arabic, and thanks to my limited Arabic, I was able to explain the situation.”

But soon the search for justice and protection began to fall into disrepair and turned into a nightmare. When asked if I wanted a restraining order, do nothing, or go to a last resort, I froze, from shock, from fear and lack of sleep, I turned to see the consul who recommended that I go to the last case.”

Then the Qatari authorities confronted Chetikat with her assailant, who said they were dating. Suddenly, the young Mexican woman accused Having an extramarital affair, which is a crime under Islamic law that govern Qatar.

“From moment to moment,” he said, “my complaint no longer matters.” It’s all about an accusation of an extramarital affair.

The interrogation lasted about three hours, and the interrogation continued until Request a virginity test. “For some reason I became accused,” she explained.

“They showed us you had a hymen,” they told me to show I wasn’t having a relationship with him. It was an extreme humiliation.”

The police referred the case to the Public Prosecution Office, the only place where a translator worked. your attacker He was acquitted of the assault charge Despite the medical report, Paula Schiekat said, “there were no cameras pointing directly at the apartment door, so there was no way to verify that the attack had taken place.”

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While she was sentenced to seven years in prison and one hundred lashes because Shitikat is a Muslim. As for Mexico, her lawyer advised her to marry her abuser to avoid punishment, something she apparently refused.

Criticism of the Mexican Embassy

In the text she posted, Chiticat questioned the ability of Mexican diplomats to help her. “I noticed little, or rather, the empty willingness of the Embassy to act on my defence. The young woman explained that none of the diplomats spoke even a little Arabic, but they had no knowledge of local laws. In addition, he said, Consul Louis Ancona simply recommended it ” Close the door to his apartment well” to avoid a new attack.

How will this same embassy serve the thousands of Mexican men and women attending the World Cup in a country where extramarital relations or homosexuality are punished? How will this embassy serve the thousands of Mexican men and women who do not speak Arabic and who also do not know Qatari laws?

On Friday, Chiticat met Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who promised him assistance.

“The SRE (State Department) Legal Counsel, our best lawyer, will take charge of her defense and that All her rights are respected as a Mexican citizen. “I realized his courage and determination,” the official said on his official Twitter account.

A final hearing will be held in Qatar on March 6, when Chittikat is expected to make a decision sentence invalidation against you and you can go back and resume your work.

“I always wanted to do behavioral economics while organizing the World Cup, I have prepared my whole life for this moment. Suddenly, my dream was stolen from me,” he said Telemundo.

Since FIFA announced in 2010 that Qatar would host the biggest sporting event, human rights organizations have denounced the outdated laws and horrific penalties still in place in the Arab country.