On Wednesday, a Norwegian expat was sentenced to 16 months in jail by a court in the United Arab Emirates after she reported being raped. Twenty-five-year-old Marte Deborah Dalelv was charged for having extramarital sex, drinking alcohol without a license and perjury.

Dalelv was allegedly raped in March and says police confiscated her passport and imprisoned her for four days after she reported the incident. She has since sought refuge in a Norwegian church in Dubai.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Dalev said that her alleged rapist, a work colleague, received a lesser sentence of 13 months for extramarital sex and alcohol consumption.

Online, Norwegians and supporters around the world expressed outrage and came to her defence.

Many flooded a Dubai tourism Facebook page with angry messages calling for Marte to be freed. Under a post that promoted a Dubai resort, people commented:
Read the comments at http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201307200035-0022922