Collins takes on Saudi laws

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is pushing judicial reform and action to address the issue of violence against women in Saudi Arabia.

Her statement came after a 19-year-old Saudi woman was sentenced to prison and lashes for being alone with a man not related to her, after being gang-raped.

Today the King of Saudi Arabia pardoned the sentence for the "Girl of Qatif”, but U.S. politicians continue to call for action.

The pardon came after Collins introduced a resolution Friday, co-sponsored by 12 other senators, for the sentence to be overturned and promoting equal treatment of women. President Bush also spoke out against the sentence.

Today she said the King’s pardon was not enough.

“While I welcome the decision of King Abdullah to pardon the ‘Girl of Qatif,’ it is nonetheless extremely troubling that the Saudi Minister of Justice has stated that King Abdullah in fact supported the sentence and instead pardoned the victim in the interest of the Saudi people,” Collins said in a statement. “This case thus continues to underscore the need for judicial reform and action to address the significant problem of violence against women in Saudi Arabia.”

Collins’ resolution urges the Saudi government to “undertake robust efforts” to address violence against women, and to ensure that victims of sexual violence are not punished for crimes committed against them.

Other co-sponsors include Sen. Olympia Snowe, and presidential candidates Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del. and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.