Yet again - women being punished for men’s crimes. The status of such a crime is itself debatable. People are often most afraid (it seems) of the things which reveal a truth they can’t bear, so they ”shoot the messenger” rather than address the issue.

If there is a violation of a cultural and religious moral code here then look to the culture from whence it arose for solutions, do not seek to punish those who reveal the truth. Such punishment is reactionary and empty and may only demonstrate an inability to maturely deal with the real issues. If the journalist had been male, would there have been a punishment of this nature ?

@canberra...please read the news completely. The man sentenced for 1000 lashes and 5 year jail term.

How can the citizens of these countries with such barbaric justice systems tolerate it? I mean, you'd think eventually they'd collectively say enough is enough and fight against it.

Craig I agree with you, they must all be paralyzed living in fear and terror of their own judicial system - mainly of getting caught! They are human after all and corruption is their way of life.
Everyone knows the sorts of things they get up to when they venture out of the confines of their own country.
Its sad for the ordinary people that such a brutal and backward culture became too rich to quick and were unable to gradually adjust to the modern way of thinking in a scientific knowledgable and civilized societies.

Once their oil runs out and dries up they haven’t made the investment with any social reforms or developments necessary to adapt to the realities of the rest of the modern world.
Oppressive brutal regimes stifle democratic processes, freedom of thought or speech, retard the maturity of the population to choose or think for themselves or to advance psychologically and therefore will be unable to develope a sustainable stable contented society with out needing violence and brutality and accepting it as an abnormal way of life.