Norwegian Woman Sentenced to Jail In Dubai for Reporting Rape Pardoned

Marte Deborah Dalelv, the Norwegian woman who reported her alleged rape and was jailed in Dubai for having sex outside marriage, has been "pardoned." She is now free to leave United Arab Emirates.

The 24-year-old interior designer was on a business trip in the Middle East country when she reported to the police that she was raped by a co-worker in March. Rather than treat her as a victim, however, she was charged with perjury, drinking alcohol, and having extramarital sex.

She received a 16-month prison sentence for her offences, while her alleged attacker received a 13-month prison sentence for alcohol consumption and having sex outside the marriage. He was not even cited for the rape allegation.

Her case received international attention, drawing outrage from human rights groups, as well as the Norwegian authorities.

She claimed in an interview that an assault police even asked her, "Are you sure you called the police because you just didn't like it?"

The police confiscated her passport and seized her money.

But on Monday, a Norwegian official told BBC that Ms Dalelv has been pardoned by the Dubai. And as she isn't being deported, she is free to stay in the country or leave. She is expected to return to Norway in the next few days nonetheless.

The Norwegian government had been in contact with the authorities in Dubai through diplomatic and official channels, asserting that her jail sentence constituted human rights violation.

Ms Dalelv found out that she was being freed on Monday during a meeting with public prosecutors. Her travel documents have been returned to her, and she is preparing to leave Dubai as soon as possible.

"We came in and we sat down and they told us, 'You've been pardoned.' It's from the ruler of Dubai. It's from him personally so that's - it just feels unbelievable - it's a very, very good day," she was quoted by the BBC as saying.

The colleague whom she accused of raping her has also been pardoned.