10 Dec 2013

Somalia court sentences woman who reported rape

3:59 pm on 10 December 2013

A court in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has handed down jail terms to a woman who said she was raped, and to two journalists who reported her story.

The 19-year-old woman was given a suspended six month sentence for defamation and lying.

One of the journalists received a six month jail sentence and the other was sent to prison for a year, the BBC reports.

The two men accused of raping the woman have not been brought before a court.

The Somali government has previously said sexual violence was unacceptable.

a BBC correspondent in Mogadishu says the case has raised fears among journalists about reporting rape, as it is the second such incident this year.

Earlier this year, another alleged rape victim and the reporter she had spoken to were sentenced to a year in prison for "offending state institutions".

They were later released on appeal.