Madam, - With reference to report headed "Saudi rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes" (The Irish Times, November 17th), what this girl is being subjected to is utterly beyond comprehension. What is also equally beyond my comprehension is our apathy about such horrors. Why are we silent? Why is this nation not protesting most strongly to Saudi Arabia - not only about the punishment being meted out to her, but the fact of her being punished at all? She is a rape victim.
I shall be writing to my local TDs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs asking, at the very least, for the withdrawal of our ambassador to Saudi Arabia. By virtue of his simply being there, we are condoning a regime that is beyond barbaric. I urge others to do the same. It is not enough that we shake our heads in appalled mystification. - Yours, etc,
MÁIRE GARVEY, Mill Falls, Collooney, Sligo.