Who Are We To Judge?
The Saudi man sentenced to 28 years in prison today in Colorado for enslaving and sexually assaulting his Indonesian housekeeper told the court he committed no crimes—he was only following “basic Muslim behaviors:” Saudi gets long sentence. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)
And the Saudi government posted his $400,000 bond.
CENTENNIAL - Sniffles and sobs resonated in a packed courtroom Thursday as a Saudi man convicted of sexually assaulting his Indonesian housekeeper was sentenced Thursday to 20 years to life in prison.
Homaidan Al-Turki, 37, was also ordered to serve eight additional years for theft charges.
He denied in Arapahoe County District Court that he enslaved the woman and said authorities targeted him because of his religion.
“Your honor, I am not here to apologize, for I cannot apologize for things I did not do and for crimes I did not commit,” he told Judge Mark Hannen. “The state has criminalized these basic Muslim behaviors. Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors was the focal point of the prosecution,” he said.
Prosecutor Natalie Decker said the trial had nothing to do with Al-Turki’s Muslim beliefs. “It has to do with what he did to her for five years,” she said outside the courtroom.
Al-Turki was convicted this summer of 12 felony counts of unlawful sexual contact with use of force, one felony count of criminal extortion and one felony count of theft. He also was found guilty of two misdemeanors: false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment.
The case has captured the attention of the Muslim community worldwide. The Saudi government gave Al-Turki the money he needed to post a $400,000 bond on the charges in Arapahoe County.
Prosecutors said Al-Turki brought the victim, who is now 24, from Saudi Arabia in 2000 to work as his family’s nanny and housekeeper in their Aurora home. Al-Turki is married and has five children.
The victim testified in court that she worked seven days a week and was paid $150 a month. She said Al-Turki and his wife kept most of that money. Al-Turki also allegedly took the woman’s passport and sexually abused her.
