Alicia Gali

Alicia Gali had been working as a beauty salon manager in the Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah.[5] She spent an evening drinking with three co-workers. She claimed that when she woke up the next day, she was "naked, with broken ribs and massive bruising" but admitted she had no memory of the night before. Her co-workers denied under oath that there was any assault, and testified in court that Gali consented to have sex with them. They allege that her injuries were caused by her falling whilst dancing on a table.[1]

Following the alleged rape, Gali contacted an Australian consular officer in neighbouring Dubai. She was not warned that unproven rape complaints could lead to sex outside marriage charges under the local law.[6] Gali had reported the alleged rape to the local police. However, the men testified in court that the sex was consensual and no evidence could be provided that rape occurred. Gali and the accused men were arrested and all were sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 12 months[7] for having an extra-matrimonial sexual relationship. She was released from prison after eight months on March 2009.[6]

Gali has sued her employers at the hotel for breaching its workplace obligations by failing to have a system in place to protect their workers against assault.[8] The hotel management claimed to have offered Gali the required support after the case.[9]

Gali also later sued the Australian government, arguing that they failed to give her proper advice.[10]

The Australian government requested Gali's family not to publicize the case during her imprisonment period.[6] Gali's release, her criticism of the Australian consular service and her lawsuit against Starwood gained international media attention. The story was published in HuffPost,[3] A 30-minute documentary film about the case was published in Yahoo! News Australia on the Sunday Night program.[11][12][13]

• Rape Laws in the United Arab Emirates and Perceptions of Rape and Sexual Assault
• Article & Fotos of Alicia Gali